Feathers In the Night
by SchadenFreude95
Summary: The random discovery of a girl with a pair of wings and a lot of unanswered questions grants the Team a new member, and Nightwing, after being assigned as her mentor, a lot of problems.
1. A Girl With Wings

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. (If I did, it wouldn't have gotten cancelled)

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><p>Chapter One<p>

A Girl with Wings

November 11th

It was warm for November that year. Summer had arrived late, but when it finally did, it was reluctant to leave, resulting in a summer-like September and October, and a mild November that only made long sleeved shirts necessary at night. Gotham was as dark as ever, but the unusual heat removed that cold, unforgiving feel the slums usually had this time of year. Not that they were any less dangerous. The only safety you could get in this kind of place was a weapon of some sort or perhaps just avoiding it all together.

Though, there was also the safety that the Batman and his team provided. It was a well known fact that if Batman wasn't out at night, then one of his protégés (or former protégé) was bound to be. Sometimes more than one. The more observant – or perhaps obsessive – person would know that there were four of them in total: Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing.

The even more observant person would has noticed that it had been a long time since Nightwing was last spotted on patrol in the city.

The young hero in question was, for the first time in at least a month, once again to be found on a lone rooftop, looking out over some of Gotham's more questionable streets. His eyes were constantly scanning the area, his ears ready to pick up any sound.

But the streets were quiet. There was no sound to hear, no crime to see.

With a bored sigh, Nightwing fired his trusty grapple hook and swung over the building's edge, landing soundlessly on the emergency stairs of the apartment complex across the street. In a few fluid moves, he clambered up the emergency stairs and pulled himself up onto the roof of the building, running to the other side of the flat surface, where he proceeded to stand still and listen for any incriminating sounds in the streets again.

Tonight was, without a doubt, one of the slower ones.

Still, he was glad for the opportunity to be out there again. And he should've actually been thankful for such a quiet night, as the only reason he was out was because he needed to relax for a little bit.

Nightwing wryly wondered when patrolling Gotham's slums had become 'relaxation'.

He already knew the answer to that question, of course. Since Kaldur's 'betrayal', which had made Nightwing the leader of the Team back in March, he'd been feeling very thinly stretched. Had he known how much of a burden becoming team leader was going to be, Nightwing thought, he might not have been as eager to be leader back when the team was originally formed.

So, the simple patrol, a routine he'd done so many times for the past ten years he could do it in his sleep, was a nice relaxing exercise. It was alone-time, something Nightwing felt that he sorely needed. Time away from the endless responsibilities that seemed to keep piling up on his metaphorical work desk.

Or not as metaphorical anymore, as he had literally installed a work desk in his room back at his apartment that was solely for team leader business.

He groaned quietly to himself. When Batman had asked him if he felt up for patrolling the city tonight he'd jumped at the chance to do something that would stop him from thinking about his responsibilities, and yet here he was, thinking about his responsibilities

He stepped back a few paces from the edge of the roof top and then took off at a sprint, jumping over the small gap between this apartment building and the next, willing himself to stop thinking about team stuff.

_You are here to fight crime, so focus! _He mentally reprimanded himself in his best Batman imitation.

Only, there was no crime to fight. The streets underneath him where empty, save for a single elderly man walking his dog.

Nightwing ran the back of a hand across his brow to wipe some sweat off of it, the unusually warm November night getting to him. He really shouldn't have worn his winter gear, but he had been an idiot and forgotten to check the local weather reports.

Looking up into the sky, he briefly wondered if there was going to be a thunderstorm later, with all the heat and rain they'd been getting for the past week.

Tonight was, thankfully, a dry one. He continued on his way, not even bothering to run anymore. Walking up to the end of the apartment building, Nightwing heaved himself up to the roof of the slightly taller building right next to the one he was standing on now.

Still no crime to fight. Maybe there criminals were just getting lazy. Or perhaps they'd all just been apprehended already.

_I guess Babs and Tim are a lot more effective than I gave them credit for._

He decided to just do a quick scout of the rest of the streets, and then head home. Maybe he would even get home early enough to do some homework and still get enough sleep that night. A small smile quirked the right side of his mouth at the thought of getting a good night of sleep.

Between his school work, training, crime fighting, and being the leader of the team, sleep was one of the things he sometimes had to do without. His disciplinary need to do everything perfectly didn't allow him to slack off on anything, and sleep really was quite a time consumer.

Half an hour later, he'd covered the entire area he usually visited, without any exciting results.

He was almost itching for a good fight.

He'd continued on his way back to where he'd parked his bike – in one of the nicer areas of the city as theft or vandalism was less likely there, when a commotion underneath him made him stop in his tracks.

Nightwing ran soundlessly for the edge of the roof top and peered down, inwardly hoping for the excuse to beat up someone.

In the large and dirty alley directly underneath him, brightly lit by the yellow-tinted streetlight, he spotted a gang of five tough-looking men cornering a woman.

She was small and young – maybe Nightwing's age – compared to the five mid-twenties, maybe early thirties men around her.

They were leering at her, their intent obvious in the way their eyes roamed along her slight body, which was hidden underneath a hoodie that had to be four sizes to large, reaching her mid-thigh.

One of them lunged for her and got hold of her shirtsleeve, pulling on it roughly. When he heard the girl's surprised and fearful squeak, Nightwing was about to jump to her rescue when he saw something that made him freeze so suddenly he almost toppled over the edge of the building he was crouching on.

The guy that had hold of her shirt sleeve pulled on it roughly enough for the zipper to break and open up completely. Another tug, and the shirt fell clean off her, revealing a mangled and ill-kept pair of..

Wings.

The girl had wings sticking out of her back.

The five guys all recoiled, surprised shouts reaching Nightwing's ears, but before they could run away, the mountain of trashcans that was stacked at the left wall of the alley fell over, seemingly on its own, and buried the men underneath it.

The girl picked up her hoodie and threw it on, and then ran as fast as she could out of the alley and away from the pile of semi-knocked out men that were all groaning in pain.

Nightwing shook his head and brought himself back to the present. He'd been too shell-shocked at the unexpected turn of events to see what had made the trashcans fall over, and now he was almost losing the girl.

Making a split second decision that he at the time didn't know was going to completely change his future, Nightwing took off at a sprint along the rooftops, effortlessly catching up to the girl, who was still running away on the ground.

Keeping up with the running girl was easy, and he spent the time mulling over what he had seen.

In the brief seconds he got to see the wings, he could tell that they were ill-kept. He could see that the girl was doing what she could to hide them, as she had belts strapped around them in an attempt to make them smaller and have them flatten against her back.

His homework and promise of sleep was long forgotten now that the night had taken such an unexpected turn.

He followed the girl unnoticed for perhaps another five minutes. They were now in the middle class parts of the city, a part Nightwing was rarely in. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd decided to follow her, but the rational part of his mind reminded him that Batman would want to know about any oddities in Gotham. And a girl with wings was certainly an oddity. The detective part of him also wanted to investigate further. After all, maybe he had been mistaken. Maybe it was part of a costume (possible) or maybe she was hiding a bird under her hoodie (unlikely).

So, if he wanted to report anything to Batman, he needed to make absolutely sure that the girl did in fact have.. _wings.._

Maybe she was the same species as Hawkgirl and Hawkman.

That didn't explain why it looked like she was hiding her wings, though.

She ran up to an old, yellow apartment building and dug out a key, disappearing inside in a moment. Nightwing scowled and slammed his closed fist down on the top of the brick wall he was hiding behind. He'd probably lost her now. Still, he stayed where he was for a moment, thinking that perhaps he'd be able to spot her through one of the windows in the building.

He was in luck. Two minutes after she had gone inside, a light turned on in one of the rooms on the fourth floor. He spotted her walking by the window and then the curtains were closed, leaving nothing but a dark silhouette for him to spy on.

He squinted his eyes and moved a building over to get closer to the window he was looking at. The silhouette was still there, and he paused when he saw that it was taking the hoodie off, revealing the wings again. She removed the belts that had strapped the wings to her back. He tensed when the wings spread out and moved once, then twice before folding and resting against her back again.

Definitely not a costume and definitely not a hidden bird.

Nightwing swung down the building and landed gracefully on the street, running across it. He reached the locked front door of the building and studied the nameplates there.

Left apartment on the fourth floor..

He found the right name plate and read it, memorizing the names for later use.

Abigail Grant & Morgan Louise Jørgensen, it read.

He wasn't sure if the girl was Abigail or Morgan, or what her relation to the other person in the apartment was. All he knew was that Batman would certainly want to know about this, Nightwing had work to do, and he would probably not get any homework done tonight after all.

Nightwing checked his position, calculated the fastest route back to his bike, and then he was gone.

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><p>Dick leaned back in his chair, his chin in his hands as he studied the screen in front of him. His mask was off, and he had opened Nightwing's suit to let in some of the cool air. Somewhere, in a distant corner of the batcave, the flutter of leathery wings and the screech of a bat could be heard.<p>

_How fitting, _Dick thought absently, though he mind wasn't really focused on the cave's wildlife.

After getting home from his patrol around Gotham, Dick settled down in front of Batman's massive computer, as he'd done so many times before. Here, he had punched in the first name he'd seen on the plate that belonged to the apartment.

Abigail Grant. The picture that showed up didn't match the girl he'd seen, so he assumed that the girl with the wings was Morgan. Abigail was a grown woman, working as a nurse at one of Gotham's hospitals. Formerly married to Henrik Jørgensen, the father of her daughter Morgan Louise Jørgensen.

Dick researched the man and found that they'd gotten divorced eight years ago and he had gone back to his homeland, Denmark. Explained the unusual name.

Next, Dick looked up the daughter's name. A picture of a young girl with big, thick, unruly, blonde curls and grey eyes popped up on the screen and Dick knew he'd found her. This was the girl he'd seen. From what he could see, there was nothing unusual about her.

She was eighteen years old, about seven months younger than him and attending her first year at Gotham's community college. She lived with her mother and worked at a pizzeria every weekend, as the pizza delivery guy.. girl. Whatever.

The important thing was that she was completely ordinary according to the files. And her mother seemed like a perfectly normal human too, not that Dick hadn't learned long ago that looks were deceiving and the bat-computer wasn't always right.

But it _was_ right most of the time.

Still, he made a mental note to check out the father. He wasn't from America, and he hadn't been in the country since he divorced Morgan's mother, so digging up dirt about him might prove to be a bit trickier. So far, he was the main suspect when it came to figuring out why the girl had wings.

With a sigh and a glance at the watch in the corner of the screen in front of him, he decided that he'd have to continue this little investigation tomorrow.

And he hadn't even gotten any homework done.

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><p>Alright! So, I've been writing on this story for roughly half a year by now and I'm incredibly excited to finally post it! Now that my Superman story is practically finished, I felt it was time to finally start posting this one.<p>

I know a lot of you have been anticipating it for some time, so I hope the first chapter wasn't a let down!

The chapters _will_ be longer, I just have a thing for short prologue chapters.

Fun fact: I decided to make my original character half danish because I wanted to try my hand at someone with 'mixed' nationalities, and the only nationality I'd know how to write and feel comfortable with portraying is danish because, well, _I'm_ danish.


	2. The Girl with the Wings

Chapter Two

The Girl with the Wings

November 18th

Staying up late last night to finish a project that wasn't even due until next week, had definitely been a bad idea, Morgan decided the moment her alarm clock went off. Her overwhelming want to stay in bed for just a little bit longer, combined with the knowledge that she didn't have the time for that, almost made her want to cry.

The blonde considered calling in sick, but she'd already done that once this week, and twice the week before, and three times the week before that..

Her mother thought she was frail, but the truth was that sometimes, Morgan just couldn't face the day. She was too exhausted, and so tired of spending every single day terrified that someone would finally discover the monstrosities sticking out of her back. It was a miracle that she'd been able to hide them this long, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they grew too large to hide underneath a big sweater, a scarf, and her mane of hair. She'd considered removing them herself. Had even held a knife to them once, but she'd been too afraid of the pain and perhaps bleeding out and being unable to hide it to actually follow through with the idea.

Her cat, Perseus (Percy for short)– a name she could only excuse by explaining that she'd had a serious Percy Jackson and the Olympians obsession back when she'd gotten the cat (And, hello, the cat was midnight black with a pair of sea green eyes it was perfect) – jumped up on her bed and sat in her hair, licking its right paw casually. Morgan scratched him briefly behind his ear before pushing him off of her hair. Knowing that she had to, Morgan sat up in bed and swung her legs over the edge, rubbing her face and running her hands through her hair to wake herself up fully. Her mother had, as usual, been on a night shift at work and was fast asleep right now, meaning that Morgan wouldn't have to worry about her mother seeing her wings.

The thought comforted her somewhat, as it meant an hour less of constant worrying. She could even blow dry her feathers without her mother asking why she was taking her so long to dry her hair and then raise suspicion.

Unfortunately, an hour passed by quickly, and before she knew it, she was already out the door and headed for the nearest bus stop, just like every other morning.

"I _need _some change in my life.." she grumbled to herself as she stuck her keys into her jean pocket.

A big change. Sometimes, Morgan felt like she was about to explode. She couldn't go on every day like this, trying to blend in with all the normal, wing-less people. It wouldn't last forever.

At the same time, she wasn't fond of the alternative. Morgan wasn't stupid. If she was discovered, chances were that she'd spend the rest of her life as a lab rat, scientists poking and prodding at her day in and day out. And she hated needles.

_Or maybe I'll just join a circus or something. I bet I'd fit in just fine there. _Morgan had jokingly thought that joining the circus might've been her best shot countless times. Obviously, she knew it would only be a matter of time before someone would find her there too, and she'd still end up in a lab somewhere either way.

So all she could do was continue like she always did. Isolate herself as much as possible. Never talk to anyone. Neither get grades that were too good or too bad to draw any attention to her. By now, Morgan had mastered the art of being seemingly uninteresting and appearing aggressively average.

Her day passed as most did. She arrived early and sat in the last row in class so no one would noticed the weird way her green sweater bulged in the back when she sat down. She ate her lunch, standing in some dark corner close to the bathrooms on the second floor. One third year student had bumped into her from behind and given her a weird look before walking off. Morgan's heart had climbed into her throat and pumped furiously for ten minutes straight afterwards.

Other than that single incident, it had been a pretty okay day. They'd gotten a biology test back and she'd scored a hundred on it. Her teacher had talked to her about moving her up into a more advanced biology class, which Morgan couldn't wait to tell her mother, as she knew her otherwise average grades disappointed her a bit.

It was true that Morgan always made sure to never do her best on her school work, but she couldn't help it in biology. She had a knack for it, something her mother said she'd gotten from her father. And as stupid as it sounded, she felt closer to him whenever she did her biology homework. He'd been a genius in biology, and Morgan, even though she hadn't seen the man in eight years, felt, or hoped, that she was making him proud by getting good grades in the subject. A much bigger part of her told her that she shouldn't give a shit what he thought. She hadn't heard a thing from the man since she was ten years old, he obviously didn't care. And neither should she.

A weary sigh left her lips as she finally rounded the corner of her street and spotted the apartment building she lived in. Almost home. Almost safe. As long as she lied about having a lot of homework and barricaded herself in her room so her mother wouldn't see her, that is. She was never really safe.

"Hey mom," she called out into the apartment in an attempt to locate her mother.

"Hi sweetie." Her mother poked her head out the door that connected the hallway to their small kitchen, "How was school?"

Morgan entered the kitchen and jumped up onto the kitchen counter, where her mother was busy cooking their dinner. Morgan had gotten home a bit late because she'd stopped by the library so it was almost dinner time already. She shrugged her shoulders. "Same old, same old."

Her mother tutted at her and attempted to push her off the counter. "How many times have I told you to not sit on my tables? Honestly girl, you'd think I raised you better."

Morgan smirked and hopped down, leaning against the counter instead. "Well, I've got school work to finish. Call me when dinner's ready." She hefted her school bag off the floor and walked as fast towards her room as she could without it seeming suspicious.

Once the door was shut behind her, she heaved a relieved sigh and leaned against it, finally feeling completely at ease for the first time since she'd left the apartment that morning.

She ate dinner with her mother half an hour later, eating her small serving as slow as she could so her mother wouldn't notice how little she was eating.

Once her wings had first started growing, Morgan had quickly realized that the more she ate, the faster they grew – like a teenage boy experiencing a growth spurt – so she'd started eating less and less to slow their progress. Not the healthiest solution, but she had been young and desperate, and now it had become a habit. The result was a pair of sad and weak wings, that she wasn't even sure could fly.

Some days she wondered what her wings would look like if she started eating more than just enough to get by with. How large they would grow. If she could fly with them. She usually pushed the thought away as fast as she could, as she liked to pretend that she had absolutely no desire to fly with her wings, and that she hated them too much to attempt it.

"Well." Her mother stood up, stretched and then began putting the dishes into the dishwasher. "I think I'll be going to bed soon. I've got an early morning shift tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll be in my room. I've got homework anyway."

Morgan stood too and helped her mother, and with their combined effort the dishes were dealt with in a matter of minutes.

Morgan retreated to her room and sat and listened to the sounds of her mother getting to bed, waiting for the moment where she could take off her outer layer and all the belts that tied her wings to her body, and let them be free for the rest of the night. That was the time of day she savored the most. Tying her wings to her body with belts wasn't always without pain, and after a whole day of moving them as little as possible, they were stiff and uncomfortable.

Fifteen minutes after she had entered her room, her mother had settled down in her own bed and had gone quiet. The small apartment they lived in carried sound like nothing else, and Morgan could always hear exactly when her mother had gone to bed.

She waited ten more minutes, and then the ache in her wings made her slip off her sweater, revealing a black tank top underneath. She took that off too, and started undoing the belts around her stomach, waist, collarbone, and hips.

Once done, she dug out one of the tank tops she'd cut open in the back to allow her wings movement. Morgan settled in her chair in front of her desk again, the wings flopping lazily over the back of the chair, fluttering and stretching in delight at being freed.

Percy jumped up onto her chair and climbed onto her shoulder, pawing at her wings in curiosity. She massaged her temples slowly, feeling a big headache coming.

Morgan sat there for two hours. She got a bit of homework done, but mostly she just wasted away time on the internet because she was unwilling to go to bed earlier than ten or eleven.

In hindsight, it had been a stupid thing to do, but she firmly believed that her mother was asleep, so she plugged in her headphones and listened to music as she sat there.

That was why she didn't her the footsteps in her mother's room, or the creaking door in the hallway. She didn't even notice her own door opening, but she heard her mother's voice.

"Morgan, can you-" Her mother froze midsentence as she got a good look at her daughter, who was sitting panicked and wide-eyed in her chair.

"_Mom_!" Morgan cried and instinctively folded her wings against her back, hoping against hope that her mother hadn't seen them.

She knew she had when her mother started screaming.

"_What is that!" _Her mother shouted and pointed, panicked, at Morgan's back.

Morgan stood and took a step closer to her mother, hoping to calm her down. She knew she'd been found out, so she unfolded her wings and let them flop sadly against her back. "Mom, I can expla-"

"_Don't come near me!" _Her mother's words stung more than Morgan had ever imagined they could, and seeing the way Abigail ran away from her and locked herself in their bathroom felt like a literal slap to the face.

Morgan panicked completely after that. She grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on, and then she ran. She left the apartment, and even though it was late at night, she ran as fast as she could down the streets, not caring how dangerous Gotham was at night, not caring that she'd forgotten her phone and that she wasn't wearing shoes in November.

She just needed to get away. Away from her mother, away from that apartment, away from her life.

_I guess now's the time for me to join that circus,_ she thought bitterly as her legs brought her down another street and then turned the corner into a small alleyway. Here, she collapsed from exhaustion and sat against the wall, sniffling quietly to herself. She felt more alone than she'd ever felt before.

If she'd known how her days was going to pan out, she probably would've called in sick that morning.

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><p>She sat in that alley in dead silence for half an hour when something new happened.<p>

The streetlamp in front of the small alley was broken, leaving the place in relative darkness. Morgan couldn't see much, which made her more hear and sense rather than see the presence of someone else in the alley.

She sniffled once, wiping her nose on her sleeve, and then she stood up and looked around. "Who's there?"

She'd hoped to sound brave, but her voice was raw from crying, and she shook with fear.

Morgan gasped loudly and took an instinctive step back when the person stepped out of the shadows. She suddenly understood why she hadn't seen the person before. It was Batman.

While she was busy staring at the superhero in front of her, she heard someone else land behind her too.

She glanced behind her and spotted Nightwing crouching in the opening of the alley. He stood and walked further in.

Pressing herself to the wall behind her so she could face the both of them, Morgan felt an unexpected annoyance flare up in her. Her night had been far too sucky already to deal with a pair of spandex-clad heroes.

"I'm not a criminal or a victim, so you can leave." She said, crossing her arms defensively, a glare on her face.

"We know." Nightwing said. Morgan had halfway expected neither of them to talk. He sounded younger than she'd expected. Like he was her age.

"We're here to talk to you about something else." Nightwing went on.

Morgan felt herself stiffen, somehow knowing what they were talking about. Her blood ran cold in her veins, one thought in her mind.

_How did they know?_

"You're here to talk about my wings, aren't you?"

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><p>This chapter was kind of the second part of the prologue so that's why it's pretty short and also why I'm posting it already. (That's also why the chapters names are so similar)<p>

Usually I only update in the weekends.

Fun Fact: Her mentioned obsession with the PJO books is kind of inspired by my own. I was in love with the series a year back but I was pretty disappointed by House of Hades and I'm not as die heard a fan anymore.


	3. A Bunch of Freaks

Chapter Three

A Bunch of Freaks

November 19th

"And I guess this'll be your room from now on." Nightwing opened the door to one of Mount Justice's many bedrooms. The girl, Morgan, peeked inside and nodded silently, her face a mask that didn't give anything away. Still, Nightwing could tell that she was sad and scared and feeling like she was in way over her head.

Honestly, when he and Batman had approached her in Gotham, he'd expected her to need a lot more persuasion than had actually turned out to be necessary. Batman had only had to point out that she didn't really have anywhere else to go anyway, and she'd agreed to come with them back to Mount Justice.

Batman had left after that, saying that he'd be back tomorrow and the three of them would have a talk about her possible future as a member of the team. He looked at the small, thin, shivering girl and couldn't help but think that she didn't much look like hero material.

Nightwing shot another look at the bedroom, noting how empty it was. He looked back at the girl and realized that her only belongings where the clothes on her back. "Should you choose to stay here, we'll provide the financial support to make this room more like a home and less like a-"

"Prison cell?" the girl – Morgan, he mentally reminded himself – said dryly.

"Yeah, that." He scratched the back of his head and placed his hands on his hips. "We'll also get you some more clothes, of course. Everything will be arranged tomorrow."

She nodded once and stepped into the small room, sitting silently on the bed.

He had to admit, he was curious. "Can I-" He cleared his throat and tried again. "Can I see them? Your wings?"

The girl let out a small sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Why not." She stood and pulled off the hoodie, turning her back to him. She was wearing a black tank top underneath the hoodie, but the back had gotten three inches cut off so the wings weren't hindered by the fabric.

Nightwing could sense how uncomfortable she was, so he kept his distance, choosing to study them from the doorway.

They were smaller than he'd imagined. And rather ill-kept. Originally he'd thought they were white, but he could now see that they were actually a light grey, which faded into a darker grey at the tips. He wasn't sure if she would ever be able to fly with them. They twitched sadly and he looked away.

Nightwing cleared his throat and she turned back around to face him, pulling on her hoodie again. "Batman will be here in the morning. Fairly early, I expect. We'll sort out everything then. For now, sleep well and I'll introduce you to the others tomorrow, after your talk with Batman."

As an afterthought, he added. "I think it's for the best if you stay in here until I come and get you."

She nodded and sat back down on the bed.

Nightwing was about to leave and close the door behind him when he hesitated for a moment and took a step back into the room. "You're amongst friend here, Morgan. And you won't have to worry about hiding your wings."

"I'm not amongst friends. I'm amongst fellow freaks." She said moodily. Nightwing pegged it down to her just being tired and stressed, and obviously sad about the new turn her life had suddenly taken, so he didn't take it personally. Instead he closed the door behind him and left down the hall, into the main room. Superboy was there.

"Who was that?" He asked, not bothering with any niceties. Nightwing wasn't surprised that Connor had seen her. The guy could see through walls after all, and he had super-hearing.

"Maybe a new member of the team." Nightwing paused. "I'll explain everything tomorrow. For now, please make sure no one else bothers her. She's had a rough night."

Connor nodded and Nightwing offered him a grateful smile. "Thanks Connor."

With that, Nightwing left the cave.

* * *

><p>Morgan woke up with the feeling that today was going to one of <em>those<em> days. She looked around the room she was in, and immediately understood why. She wasn't at home. She wasn't even in Gotham. She was in Happy Harbor, inside a mountain that she'd heard Nightwing call 'The Cave' the night before. She was here to talk with Batman about possibly joining a team of teenage superheroes.

At least, that was what the two men had told her the night before. Morgan wasn't sure she really bought it. She was sure the moment they saw her today, they'd see how small and unthreatening she was, and realize that she was anything but hero-material.

She soon realized what had woken her up. There it was again, someone knocking on her door. It wasn't really her door though. She refused to call this room hers, refused to associate herself with anything that had to do with this place. Thinking of the room as hers meant getting attached to it, and if her conversation with batman turned sour and she ended up having to leave, she didn't want to make it harder by already having grown attached to anything or anyone in the place.

Sitting up in bed, she reached a hand up to her head, doing damage control. As per usual, her thick curls were a huge tangled mess, and she decided to just let them be.

It wasn't like she had a comb or anything to brush them out with.

There was another knock on her – no _the_ door, and Morgan finally stood up to open it.

Outside, she was faced with a tall, admittedly good looking, black haired boy with blue eyes and a muscular build. He looked young than her by a couple of years.

"Breakfast is ready if you want any." He informed and pointed his thumb behind him in the direction Morgan figured the kitchen was. He hadn't bothered with any introductions or other awkward small talk, which Morgan had to admit she liked. After years of isolating herself from other people out of fear of being found out, Morgan wasn't very good at talking to other people her age. She only had her mother.

_Had_ only had her mother, until she saw her wings and freaked out just like everyone else would if they saw how much of a freak Morgan was.

The thought stung, so she put it away. She didn't like dealing with pain. It tended to make her want to punch something.

Morgan nodded at the boy and followed after him.

"I'm Superboy, by the way." He said over his shoulder.

"Morgan." She muttered shortly. She decided that she liked this kid already. He wasn't much of a talker.

They entered what she assumed was the combined kitchen and living room, where a colorful small group of teenagers where sitting around an island table, eating.

The only girl at the table – who was _green_ by the way – floated off her seat and landed in front of Morgan, an excited look on her face.

"Hi!" She said, a big smile on her face."I'm Miss Martian, but you can call me M'gann."

Morgan looked at her uncertainly, not exactly used to people with green skin.

_Then again, I have wings so I guess I shouldn't be judging._

"I'm Morgan." She said eventually.

M'gann grabbed her hand and began pulling her towards the table, but Morgan flinched, pulled her hand away and took a step back. M'gann's smile fell and there was silence for a second. Then she smiled again and motioned for the table instead. "You can sit next to me, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Morgan relented and ended up sitting between M'gann and the black haired guy from earlier. She looked at the people sitting around the table, and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Maybe having green skin was actually a new trend, as all of the kids around the table, except for her and Superboy, did. There was a younger boy that cheerily introduced himself as Beast Boy, a grumpy sounding, fish-looking _creature_ that introduced himself as Lagoon Boy and said he came from Atlantis, and then of course the Martian and the Kryptonian.

Morgan simply introduced herself as Morgan. She didn't bother with a last name as people could rarely pronounce it.

The girl – Miss Martian or M'gann or whatever – coerced her into eating some breakfast, and Morgan settled for scrambled eggs and toast. She ate more than she usually would, but she figured that her previous eating schedule that was made to prevent her wings from growing any more was rendered moot now that she'd been found out anyway.

Fifteen minutes later Nightwing came in, surprised to see that she was already at the table. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a tired sigh escaping his lips. "I thought I asked you to stay in your room."

Morgan frowned at him. "I was offered breakfast. And I think it would've been rude to say no."

Miss Martian rose from her seat and began cleaning up by levitating everything into either the sink or the fridge, depending on where it belonged. "We're just being friendly, Nightwing. No harm done."

"I guess not." He said, though he didn't sound convinced. "Batman is here. Follow me."

Morgan jumped off her chair and shuffled after the tall hero, shooting a look at the people behind her. Lagoon boy and Miss Martian were being all gushy with each other, which Superboy was pointedly ignoring, but Beast Boy offered Morgan a thumbs up and what was supposed to be an encouraging smile but came off as more of a pained grimace.

She guessed that talking with Batman wasn't always a pleasant experience for the teenagers.

* * *

><p>Nightwing looked between his former mentor and the girl. She was shifting her eyes nervously between him and Batman. Batman was keeping his eyes firmly on the girl.<p>

The three of them stood in the caves common room, in a small triangle. For a while, nobody said anything, as Batman was simply studying the girl, the look on his face the same one he'd given Nightwing many years ago when he first asked to join Batman on his nightly routines.

It was the look of a man that was sizing someone up, trying to read their thoughts and understand how they worked. The calculating look of a man that was discovering what the other person was made of.

Eventually, after Batman had finished his study, he spoke up. "We brought you here out of kindness last night, and because you had nowhere else to go. But now we need to talk about what is going to happen next."

The girl shuffled in her spot and one of her hands reached up and started pulling at a curl. Nightwing figured it was a nervous habit.

"We've known about your.. condition for a week now, and both Batman and I have expressed interest in letting you join the Team, if you're interested." Nightwing took over.

Morgan widened her eyes and let her hand fall limply by her side, she looked like she had thought they'd been kidding when they'd mentioned the same thing the night before. "But I have no experience in fighting. The only thing I have is a pair of pretty useless wings that I'm pretty sure won't even let me fly."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow.

"You've never attempted flight?" Batman asked. That was exactly the question Nightwing had been about to ask.

She scowled at the floor and stuffed her hands deep into her pockets, her shoulders raised high in a defensive stance. "I hate those stupid things. They're the reason my life sucks." She looked up at the two heroes and met their gazes bravely, first Batman and then Nightwing. "Of course I haven't attempted flight."

"Well, can you try now?" Nightwing asked before he could stop himself. He quickly realized that it had probably been the wrong thing to ask as she stiffened and sent him an incredulous look.

"Look, Night -whatever your name is- I've been strapping those things tightly to my back for years and moved them as little as possible." As if to prove her point, she pulled the hoodie over her head and spread her small wings as far as they could go. "Their muscle-mass is pathetic, and they hurt to move. I'm pretty sure I've as good as mutilated them in my attempt to keep them hidden. They. Do not. Work."

Even as she spoke, her wings fluttered and twitched almost angrily, rising and falling with each annoyed breath she drew.

"We'll have someone look at them. For now, all you can do is train them. Are they still growing?" Batman's voice was as calm and put together as ever, not at all fazed by Morgan's attitude.

She huffed out a breath, but nodded all the same, a small pout on her lips. "They're growing all the time. I think they could've been larger, but I've been eating very little for years to slow their growing process." Nightwing looked at her again and noticed that not only her wings looked frail, small. He'd noticed before that she was a short girl, sure, but now that her hoodie had come off, he also saw that she was very thin, an obvious sign of her less than ideal eating habits.

Nightwing decided to let Batman deal with the rest of this conversation, as she seemed much more willing to answer Batman's questions than his own.

Batman nodded slowly once. "Do you want to join this team?" He asked firmly.

"I-" she looked a little lost for a second, very vulnerable, but she quickly recovered. "I still don't have any training what-so-ever. I'm pretty harmless."

"There are ways to remedy that. Should you decide to join the team, you will be put on an intense training program. We will teach you anything you could possibly need to know about fighting and surviving."

She hesitated for another moment, but then shrugged her shoulders once, pulling her hands out of her jean pockets. "Then I guess I'm in."

"Good." Batman said shortly. The moment was incredibly anticlimactic for such a big decision. Nightwing remembered how excited he'd been himself when the team was formed. This girl looked like she couldn't care less.

But, he supposed, he had his reasons to be excited. She had two options: join the team, or find somewhere else to go.

Maybe she thought she was just choosing the lesser evil.

"One last question," Batman interrupted Nightwing's thought stream. "Do you have any other powers, other than the potential for flight?"

".. No."

Morgan hesitated for a moment. It was only for a second, but Nightwing noticed. He narrowed his eyes at her from behind his mask.

"Very well then. I will be back tomorrow to sort out the rest. For now, go and get to know your new team mates."

The girl understood the dismissal in Batman's request, and started walking back the way the kitchen was in.

"And Morgan," Batman added a few seconds later. She turned around and looked at him expectantly. "Your first assignment is to eat properly. You need to start caring for your body if you ever hope to accomplish anything on this team."

She stood straighter and Nightwing could tell she was fighting the urge to do a salute. "Yes sir."

"Welcome to the Team." Batman said. With that, the conversation was ended, and Morgan slipped around the corner without a second glance.

"I don't trust her." Batman immediately concluded.

Nightwing looked fondly at him. "You don't trust anyone. But I agree, she's definitely hiding something."

Batman kept his eyes trained on the spot she'd been in moments before. "Which is why I am assigning you as her mentor. I need someone to keep an eye on her for now."

"Me?" Nightwing asked incredulously. "Batman, I'm stretched pretty thin already-"

"You are the best and most knowledgeable hand to hand combatant on this team. Except for Robin, you are the only other member of the team who does not have any superpowers, which makes you the only candidate for the job. And until such a time as we know whether or not our distrust is justified, we will keep that suspicion to ourselves, so I'm _asking_ you," – and with _asking_ Nightwing knew he was really ordering – "to train her _and_ keep an eye on her."

Nightwing sighed, but already knew that the battle was lost. "Yes sir."

"Thank you, Dick." Batman said, suddenly sounding more like Bruce than Batman.

There was a pause and then Batman stepped closer, speaking in a low tone. "Alfred wants to know if you're going to be home for Thanksgiving."

A small smile crept onto his face. He felt a rush of affection for the old butler, who had always been more like a grandfather than an employee."Of course."

"Good." For a split second, Batman had a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Morgan wasn't sure what had made her say yes. She wasn't a superhero, and to be honest, she wasn't sure she really had the desire to be one. Her new living situation was so far from what she'd expected from life, she was having a hard time comprehending what was even going on.<p>

She'd planned on getting good enough grades in biology to be able to pick whatever job she could want in that field, and then spend the rest of her life hiding herself away in a lab where she could do research all by herself.

In a way, that actually wasn't that far from her ultimate nightmare, except this way around, she had chosen to be in that lab by herself, and she was the examiner, not the examined.

And now she was neither. Now she had suddenly been recruited to a team of.. well, she supposed freaks were a pretty fitting term.

But strangely enough, she didn't really mind. She'd chosen it for herself, and to Morgan, the freedom of choice was what made all the difference. If she was in a situation where she wasn't allowed to choose for herself, she felt suffocated and helpless, which she hated.

So, maybe she wasn't a superhero yet. But she would certainly attempt to become one. Even now, Morgan could feel herself wanting it more and more. Maybe the reason she hadn't wanted to become one was because she'd just never considered it before. 'Becoming a superhero' wasn't exactly a career school councilors tended to bring up.

Working with a team of people that traveled the planet, did something good in this world – something that _mattered_ – and had all sorts of adventures actually sounded very appealing. And the heroes she'd met so far seemed nice, actually.

Most importantly of all, she knew they _wouldn't_ think she was a freak because of her wings. That was very important.

Morgan found herself in the kitchen again, where, to her surprise, the four from before were all seated around the kitchen table in mostly silence. At the sound of her entering, they all looked up simultaneously.

_Creepy.._ Morgan thought.

"So, how did it go?" The youngest one she remembered as Beast Boy asked her.

"Guys," Morgan jumped at the new voice behind her. She hadn't even noticed Nightwing arriving. "Meet our new teammate, Morgan." He placed a hand on her shoulder and Morgan fought the urge to flinch and edge away.

The four heroes all offered smiles, some more convincing than others. Miss Martian – M'gann – beamed at her and flew off her chair, landing in front of Morgan. "It's always so exciting to get a new member of the team! If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Morgan offered her a close-lipped half-smile. "I'll remember that."

"She'll be staying at the cave, so I guess you guys will have lots of time to get to know each other." Nightwing explained. Morgan wondered when he was going to stop talking for her. "I've been assigned as her mentor by Batman."

Morgan stiffened and looked at the tall boy behind her. She'd gotten a mentor? What did that mean? And why had it been _him?_

"So," Lagoon Boy asked, his voice forcibly casual. Morgan got the feeling he didn't do small-talk very often. "What are your powers?"

"Uh," Morgan reach her hand up and started pulling at a curl. "None. I just happen to have wings. Don't ask me about those either. I have no idea what they are doing on me."

The three boys around the table sported a mix between surprised (Super boy), disappointed (Beast Boy) and unappreciative glances (Lagoon boy – seriously, what was with all these hero names that ended in boy?)

M'gann quickly covered for their looks. "Well, powers aren't everything! Nightwing doesn't have any and he's the leader of the team."

Before she could stop herself, Morgan snorted incredulously. "Really?" she turned and looked at the hero that was apparently her new 'mentor'. "You don't have any powers?"

Nightwing eyes – which were just white slits because of the mask he wore – narrowed a fraction. He didn't answer for a second. "No," he eventually admitted. "I'm just a normal human. But powers aren't always what make a superhero."

Morgan scoffed slightly and crossed her arms across her chest. "Tell that to Superman.." She muttered.

There was a tense silence that Morgan hated to admit that she'd actually created. Her social skills really had suffered from all those years of avoiding people.

"It'll be so nice to have another girl live here again. It's been lonely for me since Zatanna moved out." M'gann plowed on, obviously doing her best to level out any tension that Morgan had created. "I'll show you around, come on!"

She looked like she was about to grab Morgan's hand again but stopped herself just in time, probably remembering how Morgan had reacted the last time she had touched her.

Morgan shot one last look at the people in the room, and then followed after the excited Martian.

"I'll be back later this afternoon with money for you so you can buy some clothes," Nightwing called after her. "Remember to get work-out clothes; you'll need them tomorrow morning when we begin training."

This time, Morgan did follow the urge to salute. "Aye, captain."

With that, she began the tour of her new home, leaving behind a mentor that, rightly so, was thinking that she was probably going to be more of a handful than he'd prefer.

* * *

><p>Eh, I promise things get more exciting and the write gets less clunky soon. I'm not entirely satisfied with this particular scene, but when is an author ever completely satisfied with their work?<p>

Fun fact: Sometimes I literally forget that Morgan has wings as I write a scene and then I have to go back and add them to her body language afterwards because I don't want my readers to forget either.


	4. Adjusting

Chapter Four

Adjusting

November 19th

As the day went on, the cave started to slowly fill with more heroes. Morgan hadn't expected the Team to be as big as it was, and she feared she'd never be able to remember all of these names. Luckily, some of them wore strange enough outfits for her to remember them by.

Like the one in the blue suit that looked like he had a huge scarab of some kind hugging him from behind. He'd introduced himself to her earlier, but she'd forgotten him name again and had resorted to just mentally call him Bug Boy.

Then there was the overly excited blonde chick that was apparently Wonder Woman's fan girl – sorry, sidekick.

Wait, they didn't like to be called sidekicks either..

She was in some way related to Wonder Woman. There.

Morgan couldn't remember her name either.

And then the smaller version of Nightwing. Or Robin, she supposed he was called. Whatever. He looked like Nightwing had done back when he was Robin. Morgan could remember back she was younger, and Batman suddenly had a young black-haired boy for his sidekick. She lived in Gotham after all, she knew what they looked like, and this Robin looked like the old Robin, in her opinion. Maybe Batman was just allergic to anyone who didn't have black hair.

That theory didn't hold water, however, when Morgan met Batgirl. She was a blazing red head. From their short introduction, Morgan thought she could grow to be fond of this particular hero. A lot of them seemed either too serious or too immature, but Batgirl was a perfect combination of mature yet sassy and funny.

Though she would never admit it, Morgan secretly hoped she'd get to hang out with the red head more.

One thing the winged girl noticed was that the heroes seemed to leave as soon as they came. There was this huge, muscle-y and extremely tall dude with a deep voice and dark skin that stood by those weird screens that appeared out of nowhere and floated, and he assigned small missions in small teams for all the young heroes.

She couldn't help but notice that it was probably what the more seasoned superhero would call a 'slow day' as none of the assignments were particularly dangerous or difficult. Some of them even groaned out loud and asked him if he didn't have anything more exciting for them.

Secretly, Morgan wondered if it was part of the superhero description to be an adrenalin junkie. Seriously, they were _asking_ for something more dangerous to do?

_Maybe,_ she thought, _it's something that comes with time. Maybe I'll start getting eager for my next adrenalin kick too at some point. _

Not for the first time since she'd joined the team a couple of hours ago, she wondered if it was the right decision to make.

_It was the only decision to make, _she reminded herself.

She'd stood there, leaning against a wall, watching the guy she thought was named 'Mal' or something, delegate missions to other team members for half an hour. Miss Martian had finished her tour, as well as a very thorough retelling of how the Team was formed, and then most of her lifestory to boot. Afterwards, she'd allowed Morgan to just wander around on her own, and she'd ended up here half an hour ago. Not too long ago, she'd also pulled her hoodie back on. She had started to feel extremely uncomfortable with her wings being exposed like that. Deep down she knew that these people wouldn't think she was a freak because of them, but it had become too engraved in her mind, in her everyday life, that the wings had to be hidden. So, she'd found her abandoned hoodie in the kitchen, and slipped the huge thing on, the familiar sensation of its fabric brushing against her mid-thigh, and slipping over her hands comforting. It was a familiar thing in an entirely unfamiliar environment.

She looked up when the eerie, body less, female voice that was connected to the transport tube-thingy announced Nightwing's return.

He made a beeline for her and she stood up straighter from her slumped position against the wall, uncrossing her arms.

"Here you go." He reached out his hand and dumped a small, thin plastic card in her hand. Morgan held it in two hands, her thumbs and forefingers each pressed against one of the card's four corners. "If you ask nicely, I bet one of the girls will go shopping with you."

Morgan had no doubt that both Miss Martian and the Wonder Woman girl – Cassie, was her name? – would love it. They both seemed overly friendly.

She raised an eyebrow at him and slowly drawled. "And here I was hoping for shopping tips from a guy."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to her comment. Realizing she was probably being rude to her new 'Mentor' – and she called him that with extreme prejudice – she sighed and pocketed the card, adding a small "Thank you."

He nodded appreciatively at her show of good manners, and then gave her the pin code.

"How much is on it?" She asked a second later.

Nightwing looked like he didn't want to dignify her question with an answer. "Enough." He said shortly, and then walked towards that Mal guy who was talking to the bug guy and someone new Morgan hadn't met before. She watched the group for a moment and then jumped with surprise when girl suddenly shrunk and started flying away, her black and yellow suit making her look like an oversized bee.

_Maybe that's the point, _Morgan figured. _H__ow fitting to put the two bugs together for a mission._

She then focused back on Nightwing, thoughts drifting. Morgan got the feeling her new mentor didn't have much patience with her.

Then again, maybe if she'd stop being sarcastic and even a little rude, he'd probably like her more.

She pushed the thought away, telling herself it wasn't that bad, and then went in search of either an overly friendly Martian, or a hyper Amazon to go shopping with her.

Morgan spotted M'gann in the living room with Lagoon boy, and was about to go to her when she hesitated.

If she was being quite honest with herself, Morgan had no idea how she was supposed to approach the other girl.

The thought of going up to the other girl and asking her if she wanted to go shopping, and then get turned down, made Morgan want to just shrivel up and die. Somehow, she was too scared to be told 'no' to even contemplate asking the question.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to. Miss Martian looked up from her cuddling session with Lagoon Boy – whom Morgan by now had figured out was _probably_ her boyfriend– and asked her if Nightwing had given her any money for shopping yet.

"Yeah," Morgan said slowly, pulling out the card from her pocket.

"Great, let's go then!" M'gann levitated herself off the couch and landed in front of Morgan.

"I'll come with, Angelfish." Lagoon Boy said as he stood up too. Morgan felt her stomach sink.

"I'm sorry La'gaan," M'gann looked sort of pained. "But you don't really blend in in a crowd and we don't want to reveal our secret identities."

"Oh," He looked like he hadn't considered that, "I'll wait for you here then."

Even though she was relieved that he wouldn't come with them, Morgan still felt like pointing out that M'gann didn't exactly fit in either because her skin was, you know, _green_.

Before she could comment on it, M'gann suddenly started changing appearance, going from green to skin colored, and from her uniform to a pair of jeans and a jacket.

"Shall we?" She asked. Morgan shook her head once to pull herself out of her inward gaping, and then nodded.

* * *

><p>If Miss Martian was as talented at crime fighting as she was at shopping, Morgan was convinced that the world would be crime free by the end of the year.<p>

The girl was a hurricane at the mall, picking outfits for Morgan at the speed of sound. And all were pretty nice outfits too. The Martian had good taste. And Morgan, still uncomfortable in any place that had too many people there, was absolutely fine with just letting the other girl run the show. Impressively, the Martian was also good at finding clothing where Morgan's wings didn't get in the way, something Morgan herself hadn't quite mastered, hence why all her tank tops had just had a few inches cut off.

If it stood to the M'gann, they would probably have bought the whole shop, but Morgan was a bit more reserved. At the end of their trip, she had about three bags of new clothes. Although Nightwing had told her there was 'enough' money on the card, she didn't like spending money that wasn't her own, so she only got what she really needed – plus the extra that M'gann had insisted on.

Such as completely useless things like a dress and a pair of high heels, a bathing suit – like she'd ever wear that – and knick-knacks like sunglasses, hair bands and the like. You know, things Morgan wasn't ever going to use.

She never put her hair up anyway. With her hair down, it helped cover her back, and thus make it harder for anyone to see her wings.

It was one of the many sacrifices her wings had demanded she make.

Their last stop was this small and expensive shop that sold make-up. Morgan may not have done much to make her hair look good, but she did always wear make-up – only mascara and eyeliner though. She couldn't figure out how to use the other things.

Her mother had always told her that she used too much eyeliner, and Morgan supposed she did. Not by much, but she always wore her eyeliner just a little bit too thick. On purpose.

The unexpected thought of her mother left a stinging sensation in her chest, so she pushed it away and focused on her task at hand.

Once they were done, M'gann led them out on the street where she intended to hail a taxi. She didn't really need to use one as there was a Zeta-tube – M'gann had told Morgan that that was what they were called after the girl had called them transport-thingy – near the mall, disguised as an old telephone booth. But the older girl had just giggled happily and said that according to the TV-shows she'd watched back on Mars, it was tradition that a trip to the mall ended in a taxi.

Morgan wondered what kind of TV-shows the other girl had been watching.

"Wait," Morgan stopped and put a hand on M'gann's raised taxi-searching arm. She immediately slipped her hand away after the initial touch, but it had been enough to get the full attention of the other girl. "I forgot to buy work-out clothes. Nightwing specifically told me to get those."

M'gann smiled at her. "Well I guess we should get back in there." She led the way back inside, and Morgan wondered how anyone could be this friendly.

A treacherous voice in her head whispered that maybe she was just pretending to be friendly. Maybe she didn't like Morgan at all, just like everyone else disliked her.

She angrily attempted to shut the voice out, but the stupid thought had already deeply rooted itself in her brain and she couldn't stop herself now from doubting the other girl's intentions.

* * *

><p>November 20th<p>

When Nightwing said that he was going to train her tomorrow morning, Morgan hadn't thought he meant _this early_.

He had suddenly appeared, hammering away on her door at six thirty. In the_ morning_.

"Wake up!"

Morgan groaned and pulled her blankets over her head. "Why?" She whined.

"Because you need to train and I haven't got all day to do that." His voice was muffled by the door between them, but Morgan could still hear the annoyance in it.

"You have two minutes or else I'm coming in." He warned. "And don't bother showering; you'll be needing one when I'm done with you."

Morgan snickered at the very badly worded phrase, but got up all the same. For her own sake – she didn't necessarily want to make things more awkward than they already were – she didn't comment on the obviously sexually sounding innuendo.

She slipped into the grey sweat pants, sports bra and black, tight fitting tank top she'd bought the day before. With a malcontent grunt, she realized that she'd forgotten to buy any shoes, so she slipped on her old, beat up, faded green converse, knowing that her mentor would probably comment on them.

Exactly two minutes later – she mentally gave him points for punctuality – there was a new knock on her door. "Are you done?"

Instead of answering, she simply went and opened the door, coming face to face – well, face to chest because of the height difference – with her mentor.

He really was handsome, she pondered. From what of his face she could see, of course. The mask did cover his eyes and part of his cheekbones.

But the parts she could see, she had to admit she liked. The mask didn't cover his straight nose, attractively messy hair, strong jaw line or his lips, which she noticed were pulled into a lopsided smirk.

"Nice hair."

Too bad she found him annoying, and slightly stuck up from what she'd gathered about him so far.

She self-consciously brought a hand up and patted at her wild curls. "You're one to talk." She grumbled and pulled out a hair band which she'd stuffed into her pocket on a whim a few seconds before he'd knocked.

He instinctively reached a hand up to his own hair, but stopped it before it could land. "Mine is supposed to be messy." He lowered his hand back down to his side.

"Well, who's to say mine isn't?" She retorted and stepped out of her doorway, hands busy combing through her locks in an attempt to tame them enough to use the hair band.

"Perhaps the fact that you're tying it up now." Nightwing said dryly, making her halt in her ministration. She dropped her hands, making her blonde curls bounce and fan out around her. "Well, of course I'm tying it up, it'll just get in the way while I exercise." She pointed out, her tone slightly hostile with annoyance at the tall superhero in front of her. "Not to mention it'll be extremely warm and stick to my neck if I don't."

"Fair point." Nightwing started walking down the hall and Morgan followed after him, bunching her hair into a tight bun and then tied the hair band around it.

She hadn't worn her hair up in several years, Morgan wryly remembered. Her wings were folded against her back, feeling exposed in only her tank top. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, determined to act like she had absolutely no shame in displaying them. She knew there was no reason to be embarrassed by them as they were what had made her part of the Team anyway, but she couldn't help it.

"Have you been eating properly like Batman told you to?" Nightwing asked over his shoulder as they arrived at a pair of doors at the end of one of the Cave's many halls.

"Well, I've only been on his new diet for half a day, but I've been eating, yes." Nightwing looked at her over his shoulder as he pushed the door open, and Morgan hated the critical purse of his lips, combined with the silence. She could only imagine the judgmental look in his eyes.

She pushed past him, hitting her shoulder roughly against his arm – He didn't budge but Morgan was actually thrown off balance at the collision – and entered the new room.

"We usually do all of our fighting matches in the main room of the Cave, but this is the official gym." Nightwing said behind her. Morgan ran a critical eye over the place. There were ropes and hoops and all sorts of equipment you'd find in a school gym, plus a few extra gadgets that looked very high-tech. when they spoke, their voices echoed hollowly into the room.

"Well, I guess you should just start running. In the beginning, we'll mostly focus on building your stamina and muscles. Get you in good shape. Then we move on to the hard stuff." Nightwing pulled out what looked like a normal wristwatch and handed it to her. She noticed he was also carrying a lap top. "It monitors your pulse and breathing."

Morgan slipped on the thing and looked at him expectantly. She'd decided that while training, she'd behave properly. It was easier for the both of them that way.

"You can just run in circles around the gym." Nightwing said and walked out of her way. "Oh," he turned back to face her. "If you can flap your wings as you go that'd be a good idea. Those wings will need training too, if they're ever going to make you fly. Make them used to the movement."

She started running hesitantly. It felt a bit weird to just run around the room and flap her wings while he just sat there off to the side against one of the walls.

Even worse, Morgan knew she was in horrid shape and she wouldn't be able to keep running for very long until she'd be too breathless to go any longer.

She decided to jog slowly so she could keep at it for longer than usual, and only flap her wings every once in a while. It wasn't like he was looking anyway. He had his nose buried in his laptop, his fingers typing away furiously on the keyboard, a small concentrated frown on his face.

There was silence between them for twenty minutes, the sound of her feet rhythmically pumping against the floor the only noise in the gym.

Eventually, she couldn't keep going. Her throat was raw and painful from her ragged breathing, and she felt slightly nauseous. Her wings already ached from the sudden use, something they weren't used to at all. She stopped in front of Nightwing, bent over with her hands on her knees, her breathing labored.

"And that's about what I'll be able to accomplish for now." She gasped out between breaths.

"Alright." Nightwing looked up at her. Morgan was surprised he didn't comment on how poorly she'd done, but she was thankful for it. "You can do the same routine once this afternoon and then tonight. You'll see improvement in no time. How are your wings?"

She grimaced and reached a hand over her shoulder, rubbing at the base of her right one. "Aching."

Nightwing snapped shut the computer and stood up. "The pain will stop eventually, I promise."

Morgan nodded, her eyes on the laptop in his hand. "What are you doing anyway?" She asked conversationally.

"Homework. Some of us have school today." He smiled a half smile and walked further into the room, towards another door. "This in here is where we have all our weights. You'll need to do some different forms of training to gain muscle and strength."

Morgan could tell Nightwing knew what he was talking about, so she listened intently, hoping to memorize how all the different machines worked, which muscles they trained and how long she was supposed to use each.

Half an hour later, not just her legs, wings and feet, but also her arms and stomach were aching.

Nightwing hadn't been kidding when he said she'd need a shower when he was done with her.

"And I'm officially done." She groaned from her position on the floor, her arms and wings spread around her. "I'm quitting this superhero business. It's so not worth the effort."

Nightwing nudged her stomach with his foot and told her to get up. "Nonsense, you're done now anyway. Just remember to run once again this afternoon and then tonight. And remember to use your wings throughout the day."

He offered her a hand, which she ignored and then stood up by herself.

"I have to leave now if I want to go to school on time." Nightwing said. "I'll see you same time tomorrow, in front of the gym. Now go eat."

Morgan suddenly mumbled something in a strange language that Nightwing didn't understand. "Jeg orker allerede ikke mere. Dumme træner."1 her angry tone was enough to let him know that it wasn't anything pleasant.

"Come again?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She said shortly and started walking away.

Nightwing followed after her. "What language was that?"

Morgan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to assume you already know that my dad was Danish, so I think maybe you can figure that out for yourself." Her tone was clipped and frustrated. Morgan really just wanted to go have a long shower now and be alone for a while. She wasn't used to all this contact with other people and it was really exhausting.

"Well yes, but I didn't think you'd be able to speak the language."

She shrugged. "My dad and I spoke Danish to each other all the time back when he was still around. I'm a little rusty, but I try to keep it up."

"So what did you say just now?" Having reached the door that led them out of the gym, Nightwing opened it and walked out, looking back at Morgan.

She smirked cheekily at him. "If I had wanted you to understand it, I would have said it in English."

Then she swiftly walked past him and disappeared around the corner.

* * *

><p>November 22th<p>

From his leaning position against the grey wall next to the Cave's infirmary, Nightwing studied his mentor behind his dark mask. Batman stood still, silent, like a dark guardian, lingering in the shadows as he always did. The two men didn't speak but conversation was unnecessary at the time. They simply waited.

Sooner than he'd expected, Hawkgirl opened the door to the infirmary and stepped outside. She looked first at Batman and then at Nightwing, and the two men approached her as one.

"Her wings are young yet, and any damage done to them will recover. Crippled as they are, she can't fly, and won't be able to for some time. All she can do is strengthen their musclemass with some exercises and then eat properly to allow them full growth." Hawkgirl relayed, her mouth and brow drawn into a displeased line. So basically, Morgan just needed to keep doing what she'd been doing for the past few days and her wings would be up and running in no time, Nightwing though. "She is not kin of Hawkguy and I. I have no idea why she has wings."

The infirmary door opened silently and Nightwing spotted Morgan peering out from behind it. Hawkgirl stood with her back to the door so she didn't see the girl as she listened in on the conversation.

"If her wings are still the same in a month's time, I will have another look at them. Since Neither Hawkguy or I am interested in taking on a protégée, we cannot help you in this aspect." Hawkgirl explained. She handed Nightwing a piece of paper with instructions on and then she took a step forward, signaling that she was finished, but halted in her steps.

"Anyone who treats a gift like that with the level of neglect and disrespect as she has should be ashamed of themselves." Hawkgirl concluded and then swiftly walked down the hall, gone in a moment.

Nightwing inwardly winched at the hard words which he knew Morgan had heard. Batman placed a hand on his shoulder, gaining the teenagers attention. He didn't speak, but the message was clear. _Make sure Morgan follows the instructions given by Hawkgirl. _

Batman left too and Nightwing finally turned to face the girl. Morgan had a slightly wounded look in her eyes at the harsh proclamation that Hawkgirl had uttered, but it was quickly replaced by a look of anger. "Bitch." She murmured before shrugging on a giant blue sweater.

Nightwing leveled her with a look of disapproval of her disrespectful words. He could understand Hawkgirl's anger. She considered her wings gifts and a large part of her life, and to see someone else treat the same gift like it was a curse would undoubtedly seem disrespectful.

"She left behind instructions for you to follow while training and caring for your wings." Nightwing said and, after reading through the short script, memorizing it and putting it away mentally, he handed her the paper.

There hadn't only been exercise descriptions, but alos how to tend to them in other aspect. Grooming, if you will.

Morgan eyed the small piece of paper with a disgruntled look on her face, obviously not pleased with having to follow instructions from someone she'd already deemed a 'bitch'.

But she took the offered paper anyway. "Can I go now?" She asked, carelessly stuffing the paper into her back pocket.

Nightwing inclined his head, "Sure," and walked in the direction of the kitchen himself, desiring a glass of water. He needed to find Connor anyway.

Walking into the kitchen, Nightwing found he was in luck. Connor was in there already, and he wouldn't have to go looking for him.

"Superboy, I've-"

A loud, female scream echoed through the halls in the cave, drawing the attention of the two dark haired boys in the kitchen. They looked at each other briefly before they took off running in the direction of the shout.

It took a moment for Nightwing to realize that the scream had been Morgan's, but when he did, he felt a cold hand of worry clench at his insides. He'd only been her mentor for a few days; surely she hadn't already gotten herself injured.

The two heroes ended up in the garage, where they were met with a rare sight.

Morgan was pressed against the wall with her eyes closed tightly, and Wolf was sniffing at her curiously.

"Wolf!" Connor ordered, "Come here!"

The large animal shot one look at the terrified girl before it stalked over to Connor's side, settling at his feet where the tall boy knelt down and scratched it behind its ear.

Nightwing fought to keep his laughter down. There was absolutely _nothing_ funny about the situation.

Okay, there absolutely was.

He chuckled slightly under his breath when the girl finally peeked an eye open and pushed herself slowly off the wall after she noticed the lack of giant, white wolf in front of her.

"What is that?!" She cried, her legs quaking in fear.

"Wolf." Connor said shortly. "He's mine. We found him on a mission once." He elaborated when he saw the way she was eying the large animal with a mixture of wonder and fright.

Nightwing could kind of understand why she was so scared. Wolf, with its white fur and sharp eyes looked ferocious.

The animal was also taller than her, something a normal wolf wouldn't be, despite her short stature.

"And you just let it walk around free?" She spluttered, her eyes still wide and fearful. "He could swallow me whole if he wanted!"

"He's harmless as long as I don't tell him to attack you." Connor reassured her.

"Oh, okay." She said nervously. "Please don't tell him to attack me then." Morgan walked closer towards the two boys, probably aiming for the door so she could leave the room with the huge animal in it as soon as possible.

The wolf growled at her as she shuffled by it and she squeaked and hid behind Nightwing.

"Wolf, behave."

"Oh my god I hate dogs." Morgan breathed, her hand keeping a firm grasp on Nightwing's arm. "This is why I'm a cat person!"

Nightwing coughed to stop the laughter from bubbling out of him. The large animal approached her and started sniffing her wings suspiciously.

"He's probably confused because you're part human and part bird." Connor helpfully offered.

Morgan glared at him. "I'm _not_ part bird. I just happen to have wings."

"Well, whatever you are, the wings confuse him. Probably mixed smells and all that." Nightwing added.

"Oh god please don't eat me." She pleaded when Wolf took a step further towards her, bumping his large snout against her wings. Morgan leaned her forehead against Nightwing's back. "Jeg lover at jeg nok skal være sødere fra nu af hvis bare jeg slipper levende fra den ulv."2 She murmured and Nightwing once again wished he'd be able to understand what she was saying.

Connor shot him a confused look at the gibberish she was spouting.

"Apparently she switches to Danish when she'd distressed." Nightwing supplied. "Her dad's from Denmark so he taught her."

Morgan squeaked and leapt away, jumping behind Connor instead. "Save meeeee!"

"Not a big fan of wolves." Connor smirked at Nightwing and Nightwing smirked back before the two men took pity on the poor girl. "Wolf, go away." Connor said sternly. The large animal sniffed and stuck its nose in the air as if offended and stalked off.

Morgan stepped away from Connor, a faint blush on her cheeks – from embarrassment, Nightwing figured – and brushed herself off. "Well." She said, clearing her throat. "This has been severely mortifying. I'll take my leave."

She ducked her head down and practically ran for the exit, her right hand covering her face with sheer embarrassment.

"So," Connor said once the door had closed behind her. He looked at Nightwing. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Nightwing, eyes absentmindedly aimed at the door, shrugged. "I forgot."

* * *

><p>1 "I'm already so done with this. Stupid trainerteacher."

2 "I promise to be nicer from now on if I escape that wolf."

* * *

><p>I totally didn't make her part danish just so she could childishly curse at the others in two languages instead of just one. Totally..<p>

Don't worry if you find it annoying, she won't do it very often, mostly in stressful situations or if she's angry.

Fun fact: This is the longest chapter I've ever posted on a story, ever.


	5. Size Matters

Chapter Five

Size Matters

November 24th

Dick really thought he'd been pretty patient with Morgan in the beginning, but after four days of training her, he was starting to lose his temper.

He understood! He really did! Moving somewhere new and having your whole life suddenly drastically changed in a few hours _was_ stressful. Being irritable and even angry was perfectly understandable reactions.

Snark, sarcasm and attitude were also to be expected from time to time, and Dick had excused her behavior, thinking that she'd get better once she'd properly settled in.

Hell, he sometimes even almost enjoyed the bickering, if they managed to keep it light. She was funny to exchange wisecracks with.

But..

But it had been four days now and Morgan had only become more snarky and difficult with each day. He got the impression she'd actually attempted to be somewhat polite in the beginning, but the longer she stayed and the better she got to know him, the less respectful she seemed to get.

And for a guy that was used to be respected by his team mates, and a guy that had had so much respect for his own (former) mentor, it was a tough pill to swallow.

It might've sounded vain, but in the superhero society he was used to people treating him with respect as soon as he introduced himself as Nightwing. Nightwing's reputation and his association with Batman ensured that people treated him with respect.

Heck, even in normal society he got points for being Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's adopted son.

He wasn't used to having to prove to people that they should respect him. After working his ass off as a superhero for almost ten years, he had earned the right to be respected by default. He'd done all the proving back then.

And now he met someone that didn't understand that she was supposed to respect him, if not because of who he was, then at least because he was her mentor.

He smirked at the thought of Morgan training under Batman. She wouldn't last a day with that attitude.

So, Dick wondered, if Batman wouldn't have allowed her behavior, why did he?

_I don't want to be _the_ Batman anymore. _

The smirk dropped from his lips as his own words from five years ago came back to him.

He allowed it because he wasn't Batman, nor was he ever going to be. At least, not the kind of Batman that Bruce was.

Dick glanced away from the computer on his lap and up at the clock on his living room wall. It was almost time for his patrol around Blüdhaven, and he wasn't even remotely done with his homework yet.

Well, nobody had ever claimed that the superhero life was without sacrifice.

He shut down the laptop and stood up, stretching his back to rid it of the tension it had gotten while he had hunched over the computer.

He found his thoughts drifting back to what he'd been thinking about before. He groaned quietly to himself as he slipped into his bedroom. He hadn't thought about that mission-gone-wrong in months now. He'd gotten good at ignoring it, or pushing the memories away as soon as they came. He didn't like how he still, after all these years, felt phantom hands squeeze his heart painfully at the memory of losing all his friends, some because of his own actions.

Even though the whole thing had been fake, his feelings certainly hadn't been. There was sorrow there, but most importantly, a gut wrenching guilt that almost made him breathless.

And then afterwards the realization that he'd never be able to be _the_ Batman. That had almost been as terrifying as seeing all his friends die. His entire life plan had come tumbling around him because at thirteen years old, he hadn't considered that he could still become Batman, just not the same Batman that Bruce was.

He tried to get his thoughts back on track: He'd been thinking about what he was supposed to do with his new – and if he was being perfectly honest, kind of unwanted – pupil.

If she kept up her annoying attitude, he was afraid he'd blow his top.

At the same time, he would loath to have to talk to her about it because he knew it would probably accomplish nothing – except maybe an argument – and it would also label him as overly sensitive and being unable to handle a little wisecracking.

Neither was true, but he knew she'd somehow make it seem like _he_ was the problem. If there was one thing he'd learned over the last four days, it was that she was good at manipulating and turning situations to her own advantage.

They were admirable traits in a superhero – traits he, Robin, Batgirl and Batman all possessed, something they had found necessary due to their lack of other powers.

Admirable traits in a personality? Not as much.

Dick pushed the false back of his closet aside and pulled out his Nightwing get-up. Slipping out of his clothes, he donned the suit. He grabbed the black mask and hesitated, twirling it in his hand, looking at the white eyeholes.

Unlike Wally and Artemis, Dick knew he'd probably never find the courage to leave the Superhero life behind. Right now, he didn't really want to either, but it would've been a comfort to know that if he wanted to, he could leave it.

Squaring his shoulders, he stood up straighter and put the mask on, securing his eskrima sticks at his side.

Then, Nightwing opened his bedroom window and slipped out, the dull 'thud' of his grapple hook firing off and lodging itself into the red brick wall of the neighboring building the only sound in the night.

* * *

><p>November 25th<p>

Thanksgiving was in one day, and Morgan had to admit the growing excitement in the Cave was infectious.

M'gann had dragged Morgan with her to the local mall and together they had done the grocery shopping. Morgan's back had been hurting all day from lugging the turkey around while M'gann kept remembering new things they would need. She had an incredibly long grocery list already, but as they walked around the shop, she kept finding news things that they 'absolutely needed'.

Morgan liked M'gann, she really did, but her endless optimism and cheerfulness sometimes grated a bit on Morgan's nerves, as she herself was more of the pessimistic type. Truthfully, Morgan knew that it was just because she'd lost a bit of her own life-spark because of all her years in solitude and fear. It had made her bitter, which she hadn't always been.

Back when her dad was still around, she'd been pretty chipper herself, the kind of child that always smiled and bounced around with energy.

Morgan wondered if perhaps she'd be like that someday again, or if she was too damaged now.

She liked to think that she could.

And she really did do her best to be nice to the others and try to be part of the group. They were all nice people – albeit some of them were a little grumpy – and the kind of group of people she could easily see herself becoming part of.

At least, she tried to be nice to _most_ of them. There was always Nightwing. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure why she treated him differently from the others, but in some way, she guessed it was a defense mechanism.

Out of all the members of the Team, he was the one who knew about her background, and he was the one who'd seen her when she was well and truly defeated.

He was the one that had taken pity on her and made her a member of the Team, and Morgan hated that. She hated pity, had absolutely no use for it.

She was embarrassed by it. Embarrassed by having shown him weakness. She'd learned the hard way that if you showed weakness to anyone, they would use it against you.

Even worse, she had to spend time with him so often because of the whole mentor thing. So her embarrassment had turned into snark and hostility. He was too calm and collected, and he had too much on her, and it frustrated her beyond belief, so she did her best to try and rile him up. Try and prove to herself that he was just a human too and she shouldn't be embarrassed.

She attempted to get a rise out of him because it would make herself feel less weak, but he hardly reacted. He was like a marble statue, and his composure annoyed her to no end. She knew he was irritated with her, but it wasn't enough. She needed a reaction.

Also, she thought he seemed kind of conceited. Like he thought he was a big deal. And, okay, he kind of was a big deal, but she could never stomach people that had too much confidence in themselves, mainly because _she_ didn't have much confidence in herself.

There was also the fact that she did have a bit of a problem with authority figures. She felt like they needed to prove why she should follow them, and so far he hadn't given her much reason.

But she really was treating the others nicely.

She'd even offered to bake a pie for Thanksgiving.

"I didn't know you baked." Nightwing said from his leaning position against the counter in the Cave's kitchen.

It was one of the apparently rare moments where neither thought it necessary to exchange any particularly mean wisecracks, and the tone was mostly light. Nightwing had showed up after school, fully expecting to train Morgan, but she'd said that she'd already done her routine because she needed the rest of the afternoon to bake pies and cookies. Nightwing had, surprisingly, not only allowed it, but also chosen to stick around, claiming that he didn't have anywhere more important to be anyway.

"Well, when you spend years doing nothing but avoid the rest of humanity, you need to have some hobbies to keep yourself entertained." She said, shrugging. "I don't _just _bake, I'm also _good_ at baking."

Her comment had been casual, but she felt a small sting in her chest from the reminder of her lonely teenage years.

"How long was that?" Nightwing asked, his tone suddenly low and serious. "When did you first start hiding?"

He was asking the exact kind of questions she'd hoped he would avoid.

Still, the same reason that drove her to snark at him made her answer his question without as much as the smallest flinch: She didn't want to appear weak.

She turned her back to him under the pretense of putting dirty dishes in the sink. "I guess it's been five years now." She turned back to him, a small rueful smile on her lips. "Time flies."

Her face was a perfectly schooled mask, but she didn't realize that her wings behind her were hanging limply against her spine and gave a sad look about her that Nightwing easily picked up on.

She wiped flour off her hands on the apron around her waist and blew a stray curl out of her eyes. She'd pulled the rest into a bun, but some hair always managed to escape.

Wisely, Nightwing didn't say anything after that. She shot a glance back at him and saw that he was busy typing away on the thing he'd explained was a holographic computer, which was installed in his gloves.

Morgan had finished the pie dough a long time ago, and was working on her cookies, which was a recipe her mother had taught her. It was a festive cookie that required a whole bunch of spices that M'gann and she had bought during their grocery shopping.

Only problem was, the spices where all in one of the top cupboards, and Morgan couldn't reach them. Sure, M'gann was used to just levitating everything, but Morgan didn't have that option.

"Nightwing, please make yourself useful and hand me the cinnamon up there." Morgan pointed at the small glass container with the brown powder in it, out of her reach.

"Why can't you just get it yourself?" He asked, looking up from his computer after he said it.

Morgan sighed impatiently. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"

"Absolutely." He said dryly, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Morgan harshly sighed again, this time in annoyance. "I can't do it because I'm too short. There. Now get your freakishly tall body over here and do it for me."

Nightwing was behind her in a second, reaching up and grabbing the spice easily. "Since you asked so nicely.." He said snidely.

Morgan growled lowly. "Tror han er så sjov.." She muttered.

By now, Nightwing had learned that she muttered in Danish whenever she was annoyed with him, and so he didn't ask what she'd said.

He walked back and settled against the counter, same as he'd been before. Soon, he was typing away on that thing again and they both started acting like the other didn't exist.

It was for the best, Morgan decided. Their bickering had bordered on arguing at this point, or at least just turned hostile, so ignoring each other was the best thing to do.

"I was thinking." Nightwing spoke up after twenty minutes of silence. By now Morgan had most of the cookies in the oven. She hadn't asked for his help to get down the other spices, rather she'd grabbed a chair and used it to reach them herself.

Morgan looked up at him. "Yeah?" She caught herself before she could say 'I had no idea you could!'

"After Thanksgiving, I'm going to start on your proper lessons. You should still keep up your other training, but I'll start teaching you some fighting techniques."

Morgan had to stop herself from letting out a whoop of joy. As reluctant as she was about this whole hero gig, she did want to start her proper training. She'd attended a few karate lessons in the summer between third and fourth grade, and she'd enjoyed it. She hoped she was still able learn the different moves as easily as she had back then.

"Awesome." She said casually.

* * *

><p>November 26th<p>

M'gann had been in the kitchen all day, creating the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, and then some. Morgan had helped her from time to time, when she hadn't been training in the gym or avoiding everyone by being in her room.

She'd been at the Cave for just about a week now, and while she enjoyed all the company, it was pretty tiring sometimes too.

M'gann had been glad for the help, but at the same time it was obvious that it was more because of the company than the actual help. She was perfectly capable of fixing the whole thing herself. She had three knives working at the same time, a spoon stirring the gravy, and a few other kitchen utensils floating around.

Morgan was kind of afraid of losing a limb when she helped, due to all the floating sharp objects.

Nightwing hadn't been in all day, much to Morgan's relief – she didn't mind a full day of not seeing his face – because he was home celebrating Thanksgiving with his family.

"So, are you going to attend Black Friday tomorrow?" M'gann asked conversationally.

Morgan shook her head. "Nah. I'd be terrified of someone seeing my wings. Too many people in too little space for my taste. I honestly find it totally scary. I used to go with my mother when I was younger, and couldn't ever quite shake the repulsion at how barbaric people got."

"I have to admit, it was scary for me the first time too." M'gann said. "But I like going now! With my powers, it's kind of easy to navigate through all those people."

"I can imagine. You can just float right through them or use your powers to push them out of the way." Morgan looked up at M'gann, a joking look on her face. "Or even use that jedi mind-trick of yours to convince someone that 'these aren't the boots you're looking for'."

M'gann obviously got the reference because she laughed at it, but it came out a bit forced. "If I can avoid it, I don't enter other people's mind. I've been told it's an invasion of privacy." There was a tone to her voice that made Morgan change the subject as fast as possible. She was afraid M'gann would start sharing, and Morgan didn't like sharing.

"So, when's dinner ready?" The subject change was poorly executed, but M'gann took the bait anyway.

"In five minutes actually." M'gann said. "I'll call for the others."

Morgan sat in her chair and waited for M'gann to either shout for the others or go looking for them, but instead she just stayed silently in the kitchen, scooping salad into a bowl.

"Erh.." Morgan was about to offer to go get the others, since M'gann didn't look like she was about to. Before she could, though, the two green boys both came walking out, all on their own.

M'gann noticed Morgan's surprised face and smiled at her. "Like I said," she tapped the side of her head. "Only when I have to."

The four of them settled around the table. Usually at this time of day, some of the other team members would've joined them. A lot of the younger heroes went to the Cave straight after school and often stayed there for dinner, making it a loud and interesting affair, but tonight it was just the four of them.

Everyone else had families to celebrate with.

"Hey, where's Connor and Mal?" Morgan asked, noting the absence of the only other non-alien looking people that lived in the Cave. It was ironic since Connor actually _was_ an alien and two of the alien-looking people weren't.

"Connor's gone with Superman to stay at their parents' farm." Beast Boy explained, his eyes firmly set on the steaming turkey M'gann was putting down in the middle of the table. "Mal's with his own family."

"I thought Superman was Connor's father." Morgan realized that she was pretty clueless when it came to the background of her team members. She scratched her bare shoulder awkwardly – M'gann had insisted on them wearing nice clothes, so despite her initial instinct, Morgan had worn a nice top that left her shoulders bare, her wings horribly exposed.

"Well, most of us thought so in the beginning, but Superman was reluctant to adopt him.." M'gann winched, clearly lost in a memory. "Eventually, he accepted Connor, but as a brother and not a son. They have a great relationship now." She added the last part hastily, like she felt she needed to reassure Morgan.

Lagoon Boy grumpily changed the subject, claiming that he was hungry and wanted to eat. Morgan got the feeling he didn't like Superboy very much, or rather, he didn't like M'gann talking about him.

They did the usual thanksgiving traditions, and then M'gann started serving, cutting the turkey open and instead of just using her telepathic abilities, she did it manually. "It makes it feel more authentic that way." She claimed.

Morgan wondered if she ever went to another planet, if she'd be as in love with their traditions and way of doing things as M'gann seemed to be.

She supposed it would depend on what kind of planet she ended up on.

"Turkey, Morgan?" M'gann offered, snapping the other girl out of her thoughts.

"Uhm," Morgan cleared her throat, "No thank you."

"What?" Beast Boy – Garfield, Morgan reminded herself was his real name – demanded. "You don't like turkey?"

"I.." She cleared her throat again and wrapped her index finger around a curl. "I don't eat bird meat."

"Why not?" Lagoon Boy asked, obviously making an effort to not sound hostile. Morgan had come to realize that he was just a forceful kind of person, so she didn't mind his aggressive tone much.

"Oh, I don't know.." Morgan trailed off sarcastically, a single eyebrow arched. Then, even though every instinct in her screamed at her to not do it –_ don't draw attention to them, keep them hidden! – _she spread her wings out and flapped them once, twice, casually.

Beast Boy laughed at the 'duh' expression on Morgan's face.

If it had been M'gann or Beast Boy asking her the same question, she probably would've answered them civilly, explaining that due to the wings on her back, eating birds made her feel like a cannibal. She wouldn't be able to use snark against them, because M'gann was, although not that close, her closest friend on the Team, and she'd been too nice to Morgan for her to behave disrespectful towards her. And Beast Boy – _Garfield_ – was just too nice and innocent and young.

But Lagoon Boy was another story. He was rougher around the edges, and not above throwing mild insults and use snark either. In a way, Morgan felt like the two of them had more in common than they did with the others.

So she also didn't worry because she knew he couldn't take the innocent jab harshly. He'd understand that she was only kidding.

La'gaan cracked a small smile, proving that he _did_ have a sense of humor, and passed her the potatoes instead.

She accepted them, a smile on her face too.

The four of them dug into their food, smiling and laughing with and at each other. Afterwards, they sat in the huge couch and ate the pie Morgan had baked the day before, watching some movie that none of them really paid any attention to, to stuffed to do anything but sink low into the couch pillows and groan and complain about their full stomachs.

For the first time since she had joined the team, Morgan was completely at ease and content with a sense of belonging.

* * *

><p>November 28th<p>

The grating sound of metal slamming into metal could be heard every few seconds in the gym. If you stepped into the small training room that housed all the weights, you'd also be able to hear the heavy breathing of Morgan, accompanied by a few groans every now and then.

Nightwing sat with his nose in his computer as usual, catching up on homework.

Normally he'd be at home doing it, but since being assigned as Morgan's mentor, he'd had to combine homework-time and training time.

Fifteen minutes went by, Morgan switching machine once in that time. Nightwing finished his homework five minutes ago, and now he was looking up Morgan's credit card history. He'd noted that she hadn't done anything to redecorate her room, and that she usually wore a combination of either one of two pairs of jeans, three hoodies and four t-shirt or tank tops.

He finished hacking and saw that, indeed, she'd only used the card once and she hadn't bought much with it.

"Why haven't you been using the credit card?" He asked, breaking the silence between them that had lasted thirty minutes by now.

"What?" Morgan panted, looking at him from around the machine she was on.

"Why haven't you been using the credit card?" he repeated himself louder.

She disappeared behind the weight again. "I don't like using money that isn't my own." She said her voice flat.

"Morgan, that money _is_ yours. It was a gift." He shut his computer down and stood up. "We want," he cleared his throat, wondering if he really meant what he was about to say. "We want you to feel at home here. "

She peaked out from behind the machine again, an incredulous look on her face. She got off the machine, and Nightwing noted how her legs were shaking a bit, probably form the strain she'd been putting on them during training.

"So I can just use as much as I want?"

Nightwing shrugged one shoulder. "To a degree, of course. But you should at least try to make yourself more at home in your room. And you can buy more clothes, if you want. You don't have to life with as little as possible."

Her face did a sort of twitch he honestly wasn't sure what meant. Then she turned her back on him and sighed harshly, her silence clearly saying that something was wrong.

Normally, Nightwing would show concern for his team mates and ask what was wrong, but he didn't this time.

To be honest, he did find the girl pretty annoying most of the time, and whenever he'd attempted to talk to her about herself, she'd turn downright hostile and defensive.

So, anything that made her quiet and not sass at him was good enough for him.

Nightwing shook his head and firmly told himself to act like an adult.

"Are you okay?" He asked hesitantly, telling himself that it was the right thing to do.

She rounded on him, a fierce glare on her face. Nightwing immediately knew that it probably hadn't been the right thing to do.

"No! I'm not! And it's none of your business!"

She huffed and all but stormed out of the room, her wings flapping agitatedly on her back.

Nightwing sported a glare on his own and followed after her. No one just walked out on him after blowing up like that.

"Hey," he said, trying to keep the glare out of his voice, his hand closing around her shoulder.

She wrenched herself free and turned to face him, taking a step backwards to create space. "What?" She snapped, her voice thick with attitude.

"If something is bothering you, you can tell me!" He informed, spreading his arms out on what he hoped was a welcoming gesture. "As your mentor it is my responsibility to-"

"Oh please," She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "We both know you're only my mentor because Batman _forced _you to. Stop pretending otherwise. We're both stuck we each other and my guess is you're as unhappy about it as I am. And you don't really care; you're just doing you 'duty'."

She was speaking the utter truth, but Nightwing instinctively sought to deny it. "That's not true. I'm not heartless, of course I care."

"You don't!" Morgan exploded, uncrossing her arms and clenching her hands into fists at her sides. She got up on her toes and in his face, a snarl on her face. "You don't care. You _pity._ And I have no use of it."

Then she turned on her heel and marched out of the gym.

Nightwing stood in the same spot for a moment. Then he let out an angry growl and punched the wall, leaving a small dent.

Out of all people on the planet he could've had been assigned as mentor for, it just _had_ to be her.

"Of all the childish, annoying, disrespectful, insolent.." He grumbled under his breath as he too left the gym, slamming the door shut behind him, the sound echoing through the empty room.

"Morgan!" he practically roared as he reached her closed – and locked – door. "Come out right now!"

Beast Boy was walking down the hallway, but as soon as he heard Nightwing's angry shout, he flinched and scurried away around the corner.

At least _someone_ knew to respect him.

"Go away!" came her muffled voice from the other side. He did a double take when he realized she, despite obviously trying to hide it, sounded like she was crying.

A small sob came from the other side of the door and Nightwing felt his anger ease away slightly.

He was still angry, but now he was less inclined to just rip her head off.

"I swear to god, Morgan," He began, no longer shouting but still spoke with aggravation in his tone, "If you don't open this door right now, I'm going to break it down."

A few seconds passed by and then he heard movement on the other side.

"What is wrong with you?!" She growled out as she unlocked the door and met his mask-covered eyes. She turned around and marched back into her room. Nightwing followed her. "It's like you go out of your way to humiliate me!"

"What?" Nightwing sounded incredulous, with good reason. He wasn't trying to humiliate her, why did she think that? "I'm not trying to _humiliate_ you!"

"Oh sure, that's why you insist on confronting me when you _knew_ I was crying!" She wiped angrily at her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears.

"I'm not trying to humiliate you, I'm trying to do my job!"

"Well, your job can screw me!" She said angrily. "I just want to be left alone and for you to stop trying to force me back outside when I can't!"

Her eyes widened and Nightwing knew she'd said something she hadn't wanted him to know.

He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure her out. "Why can't you go outside?" His voice was back to normal, his tone cautious. This was probably what had been bothered her.

She sighed harshly and let out a frustrated growl, her hands coming up to pull at her curls. "Please don't tell me you don't know."

Nightwing didn't move a muscle, clearly showing that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"My wings!" She shouted, and Nightwing finally understood, his eyes widening slightly in sudden realization."They've gotten too big, I can't hide them under my hoodies anymore, and I-I can't leave this Cave!"

There was a look in her eyes like a cage animal, her voice pitched and panicked.

Nightwing mentally scolded himself for not realizing this sooner. Her wings had grown quite a lot and were obviously too big by now to just stuff underneath a hoodie and tighten to her back with a pair of belts.

And he honestly should've known that that was going to be a problem. He knew Morgan had been doing everything she could for years to keep her wings hidden, and that this new dilemma must've been scarier for her than he could imagine. He remembered how uncomfortable she'd been the first few days whenever her wings were visible. Heck, now that he thought of it, she still seemed uncomfortable whenever she was around the others with her wings out. The only reason she didn't mind that he could see them was because she'd gotten used to it by now, Nightwing figured.

"Morgan-"

"Just leave me alone!" She screeched and pushed him out her door. Nightwing could've easily held his ground, but he let her push him out and slam her door shut in his face.

He could hear her crying on the other side of the door, and he waited for her to calm down before speaking again.

"Morgan.." He hesitated. "I'm going to help you find a solution."

She didn't answer and Nightwing left the cave soon after, his anger long forgotten. He needed to pay Zatanna a visit.

* * *

><p>I laughed when I thought up the title for this chapter. I'm childish like that.<p>

Fun fact: Literally every single fanfic I've written has been spurred by my frustration with the lack of good specific-superhero/OC fics.


	6. A Dent in the Wall

Chapter Six

A Dent in the Wall

November 30th

It was a Monday and Morgan found herself asking questions she wouldn't be able to answer.

What was she supposed to do about college?

She hadn't really thought about it before, but she'd been missing school for about two weeks, and she couldn't go back to her old college. She wasn't even in Gotham anymore.

Though, she supposed the Zeta tubes could fix that problem.

There was one problem they couldn't fix, though. As she'd been stupid enough to reveal to Nightwing two days before, she couldn't go out in public as long as her wings were as big as they were now.

She mentally cringed when she remembered the fight and then his promise afterwards.

The day after, Nightwing had showed up as he normally did and trained with her, going through self-defense techniques before leaving again.

He hadn't mentioned anything about the argument or if he had any sort of solution for her and Morgan certainly wasn't going to bring it up either.

And it had been exactly the same thing today. He'd shown up and been extremely focused and no-nonsense, trained her and then left because he had some night class he needed to attend. He hadn't mentioned the fight that time either.

But the mention of classes and school had reminded her of her own school-less weeks

She wasn't sure what to do about it. She couldn't show up at her old college again, for several reasons.

Firstly, you can't just go disappear for two weeks and then show up without expecting some questions she wouldn't be able to answer.

Secondly, she was afraid the school would attempt to contact her mom, and she knew she'd never want to see Morgan again after what had happened.

The thought of her mother stung so she redirected her thoughts.

She knew she needed to do something about this. She wasn't going to be a crime fighter for the rest of her life. And it was an occupation that didn't come with a pay check. She would need a job and an education, and she needed to go back to school.

Morgan wasn't sure who to ask what she was supposed to do because she knew that no one would have an answer.

With a small sigh she left her room and went into the kitchen. Batman had told her to eat, and right now she was craving chocolate.

"Ooh." She said, her mouth forming a 'o' when she entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, finding a bowl of big, red, perfect strawberries.

She was about the climb onto the counter to reach into one of the top cupboards, the one M'gann kept their snacks in, to grab some chocolate, when Beast Boy entered the kitchen.

"Morgan," greeted the boy cheerfully. "What're you doing?" She had one leg on top of the counter and was about to pull herself up when he entered and he gave her a strange look.

"Oh, hey Garfield," Morgan answered, jumping down onto the floor again. "Can you hand me that chocolate bar?"

Garfield jumped over and climbed up, agile as a monkey, and hopped down, putting the bar of chocolate down onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.

He watched as Morgan pulled out a pot and a white ceramic bowl. She poured water into the pot and put it on the stove.

"Seriously, what are you doing?" He asked, scratching his head and she started cutting the chocolate into smaller pieces.

"I'm melting chocolate so I can dip the strawberries in it." Morgan finished cutting the chocolate and put it into the bowl, placing it in the slowly heating pot with water. "Wanna help?"

He smiled brightly and hopped off the counter. "Sure!"

Morgan liked Garfield, and that was why she offered. He was so young and innocent and energetic. He reminded her of her cousin. Her mother's sister had a young boy, Peter, that Morgan had spent many hours with when she was younger, before her aunt moved to Alaska.

Garfield reminded her of him, and she wanted to spend time with the younger hero.

Morgan pulled the strawberries out of the fridge and handed him a knife and together they cut the top of the strawberries off, throwing the green leaves out. Garfield joked around and Morgan found herself laughing genuinely for the first time in several days.

"Can you find a tray for me?" She asked as she pulled on a pair of oven mitts and took the bowl of melted chocolate out of the pot and put it on a coaster on the table.

Garfield put a tray next to the bowl, and they started dipping the strawberries in the chocolate.

"So, can I ask you a question?" Garfield asked.

Morgan looked up at him, her face blank, not sure what to expect. "Sure."

"What were you and Nightwing fighting about?"

Morgan sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair, grunting with annoyance when her hand got stuck in several tangles. Her hair really was impossible.

"Just.." She took a deep breath and decided to tell him. "Well, I been stressing out because my wings are too big to hide now and I can't go out in public because of it. And he was just pushing all the wrong buttons, the annoying shit."

Garfield ignored her last comment. "I can understand how you feel. When I first became Beast Boy, I was so embarrassed to be outside because of, well.. You know."

"Because you're green?" Morgan deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, that." He smiled at her and stuffed a strawberry into his mouth.

"How did you stop being embarrassed?" Morgan asked him after a few seconds of silence.

"Once I went public as Beast Boy, I was accepted, I guess. People started to know me as a Superhero and they didn't think of me as some mutation gone wrong anymore."

"So you're saying I should just go public?"

"I'm saying that's what I did."

Garfield was in the middle dunking the last strawberry when Nightwing unexpectedly entered.

"Morgan." He said shortly.

Garfield made a grimace and looked between the two of them before turning into a bird and flying away.

Morgan wished she could do the same. Nightwing sounded far too serious for her to want to deal with him right now.

But since her wings couldn't fly right now, she couldn't flee. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked at him. "Yes, Nightwing?"

"I've got something for you." He said, holding up a necklace with an orange drop-shaped stone.

"Uh," Morgan said. "Not that it's not pretty and all but it's a bit weird that you're giving me jewelry."

She could tell that he was rolling his eyes behind his mask. "It's a glamour charm. When you wear it, your wings will be invisible."

Morgan's mouth fell open on its own accord. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out and Nightwing placed the necklace in her palm.

"How-" Morgan swallowed around an unexpected lump in her throat. If this really worked, she'd be able to walk around other people for the first time in five years without constantly worrying. "How is that possible?"

"I've got a friend who knows a few tricks." He had a very satisfied smirk on his face and Morgan's first instinct was to say something rude to remove it. At the same time, she was too grateful to do anything stupid right now.

She put on the necklace and looked over her shoulder.

Her stomach dropped and her heart started throbbing. Her wings were still there. It hadn't worked. She sighed and deflated visibly, scolding herself for having been stupid enough to dare hope.

"It doesn't work on yourself, obviously." Nightwing elaborated and Morgan felt her hope return. "Everyone on the team will be able to see them, but anyone else won't. Oh, and just because they aren't visible, doesn't mean they aren't still there. So don't bump into too many people."

"That is _amazing_!" Morgan exclaimed, a huge smile brightening her face. "Thank you!"

Before she could even contemplate what she was doing, she reach up and hugged Nightwing tightly. He tensed under her embrace and Morgan immediately realized her actions.

"Uh." She pulled back as if burned and stepped around the kitchen counter to create distance. "Strawberry?" she offered, holding up the tray.

He plucked one off the tray and bit into it, a small, crooked smile on his face. "You're welcome." He said, responding to the 'thank you' she'd said before. "Now let's go spar. I bet you'll only get knocked over thirty times this time around."

Morgan huffed and followed after him. "Ass." She said, even as a small smile formed on her mouth and she reached up to touch the orange stone that was resting against her chest.

* * *

><p>December 1st<p>

As reluctant as Nightwing was to admit it, Morgan was making progress. She was a fast learner, picking up on the different techniques he taught her after a few tries, and didn't seem to find it difficult to use them in combat.

He was still beating her ass, but she was definitely making progress.

_Bump!_

_Thud!_

"On your feet!" He barked, not even out of breath, after knocking her on her ass for the tenth time since they'd started training twenty minutes ago.

"What's the point, you're just going to knock me over again." She groaned from her position on the floor, wings, arms and hair spread around her.

"That's part of learning." He bit out through clenched teeth. She was being difficult, and he wanted this training session over so he could go home and celebrate his birthday.

She lifted her head up off the floor and studied him with furrowed eyebrows. "What's with you? You seem even more annoyed and angry than usual."

He rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see it underneath his mask. "I have somewhere to be but I'm not going until you can get at least get _one_ good punch in."

"Dude, I won't be able to get a good punch in if we trained for the rest of the day!" she protested. "You've been doing this since forever, and I've been doing it for less than a week."

She sat up on the floor after he nudged her side with his foot. "Plus, you have all the advantages. The height and the muscles and the experience.."

It was true. Even though Morgan had been surprisingly good at keeping up her work outs and had definitely added some to her muscle mass, she was still short and scrawny.

She stood up and shook her sore body, her wings stretching out behind her.

Her wings, however, were improving. As Batman had told her, she had started eating more, and all of the energy that food produced seemed to go right towards growing her wings out. Nightwing could already tell a big size difference between now and when she first got here. When they moved, it wasn't with that sad, weak fluttering from before, but with strength. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd be able to use them to actually fly at some point soon.

Even now as she stood there, her wings flapping in agitation, Nightwing could feel them stir the air around them, his long bangs tickling his forehead.

"My height puts me at a disadvantage right now. You're harder to reach, but I'm easier to hit." He quickly relayed the same lesson Batman had told him back when he'd first started training with him and had made a complaint much like the one she'd just said. Nightwing sank into a fighting stance. "Just get close and my height will become a liability. Now come on."

Morgan sighed in frustration and pretended that she wasn't going to do it, but Nightwing could see from the tenseness of her muscles that she was going to attempt a surprise attack.

A few seconds passed, and then she suddenly lunged for him, aiming for his stomach.

Nightwing blocked her fist with his left forearm and kicked her legs out from under her with one of his own. Morgan let out an "Oof!" when she landed on her back, all the air knocked out of her lungs.

The computer flashed a red 'FAIL' over her head, and she groaned again.

"On your feet!" Nightwing demanded again.

She sat up and started pulling herself into a standing position. "Dick.." she muttered to herself. She didn't notice the way Nightwing tensed up at her insult.

"What did you say?" he asked sharply, earning a startled look from the girl.

"I just.." Morgan shrugged casually like it wasn't a big deal. "Called you a dick." She gave him a weird look, like she didn't understand his reaction. It wasn't like she hadn't insulted him before and he had never reacted like this to any of her other jabs.

Nightwing almost breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she'd just insulted him, and not called him by his name.

Just then, the Zeta tube lit up and the computer announced the arrival of Batgirl and Robin.

"Hey," Batgirl greeted, jogging towards them. "Happy birthday!"

Robin walked up too, giving Nightwing a firm slap to the shoulder. "Nineteen years, huh?"

Nightwing allowed a small smile. "Thanks guys."

"We've actually got somewhere to be, we just came to congratulate you." Batgirl explained before reaching up and planting a kiss on his cheek. He already knew where they had to be; he'd been the one to assign them a mission.

"I'll see you guys tonight?" He asked.

"Count on it." Batgirl winked and Robin smile one of his easy smiles, and then the two of them headed for the Cave's garage.

Nightwing looked after them for a moment, happy that Barbara and Tim would be there tonight at the Manor. Even though he didn't live at Wayne Manor anymore, Bruce still insisted on celebrating his birthday there. Dick had asked for just a _small_ gathering of family and the closest friends, and that's what Bruce would get him.

"So that's why you've been so pissy," Morgan realized behind him. She'd been impressively silent while the others were there. Part of him wondered if that was because of some sort of discomfort around her team mates. "It's your birthday and you're stuck with me in this stupid cave."

"I have not been pissy." He defended.

Morgan waved him away, scoffing. "Sure, whatever. Not at all pissy."

Nightwing sighed harshly and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. "Look, I just want to finish this sparring session so I can go home and enjoy my birthday. So can we not argue? Please?"

Morgan stood and looked at him for a moment and then she shrugged her shoulders and shifted into a fighting stance. "Let's agree that when you've knocked me on my ass for the twentieth time, or I manage to actually lay a blow on you, we're done for today. I'll just do some weightlifting instead or something."

Nightwing slipped into a fighting stance too and hesitantly said, "Thanks." He wasn't sure what had suddenly made her compliable. Maybe it was the 'please. Maybe it was the tired tone of voice he'd been using.

She quirked a small, half-smile with one corner of her mouth. "Consider it my birthday present to you."

* * *

><p>December 12th<p>

On the twelfth of December, Morgan lifted off the ground for the first time.

After a month of constant training, building on her wings size, muscle mass and endurance, Nightwing decided that now was the time she tried to fly for real.

"Absolutely not. I'm not making a fool of myself." Morgan protested, but still followed after him into the gym, mainly because he'd threatened to just drag her in there if she didn't come along.

"You won't make a fool of yourself," He shot back in frustration. "There is nothing wrong with trying."

"Yeah, but there most certainly _is_ something wrong with failing."

Especially in front of Nightwing. She'd already embarrassed herself and failed and seemed weak in front of him enough times.

He ignored her and pushed her into the center of the room anyway.

"Come on," He said, "It is simple; just flap your wings as hard as you can."

"Please do_ not_ tell me how to use my own friggin' wings." Morgan grouched, crossing her arms over her chest, a pout on her face. Nightwing didn't move a muscle, but simply kept looking at her with what she assumed was an unimpressed looked from behind that stupid black mask with the white eye slits.

Morgan found herself wondering what color his eyes were. She assumed they'd be brown, due to his black hair and naturally tan skin. It just sort of fit together. Maybe he was part something, like Italian or Mexican or something.

When his expression didn't change, she groaned loudly but still did as he asked. She stepped up onto a chair he'd placed in the middle of the room and closed her eyes, deciding it'd be less embarrassing if she didn't have to watch him watch her fail.

Morgan stood on the chair for a long moment, somehow not able to start using her wings yet. She'd intentionally done what she could to restrain them and hide them for as long as she could remember. She had never imagined that she would ever use them. She hadn't wanted to. She'd spent five years hating her wings, and now, because of that, she found that attempting to use them was harder than she'd imagined. It went against all the plans she'd had, all the thinking she'd done. It went against a very old promise she'd made to herself.

Morgan took a deep breath and beat her wings up and down once, then twice, then three times. Mentally, she kept telling herself that she was a different person now than she was then. Her wings had a purpose now.

As she started beating her wings up and down, harder with each thrust, Morgan could definitely feel that they had the potential for true power. Even now, though they weren't big and impressive like the kind of wings Hawkgirl and Hawkman had, they still stirred the air in the room.

Suddenly, she could feel her feet leaving the wooden chair. The same feeling you get when you break the surface of water you've been under for some time swept over Morgan. She opened a single eye, peeking at the ground beneath her. She was only floating a few inches above the chair, and her wings were growing steadily tired and sore, but it was worth it.

It was a thrill like nothing she'd ever experienced before. Briefly, the feeling of total freedom she'd been craving since her wings first started growing out of her back finally washed over her and she wished she could fly high and far, all day.

Morgan found herself suddenly wondering why she hadn't done this much sooner.

Then she remembered how much she was supposed to hate her wings, how much heartache they'd caused her, and immediately stopped moving them. She landed back on the chair, but lost her balance and, with a small squeak, fell off, landing in a heap on the floor.

"The flying was great, but the landing could use some adjustments." Nightwing spoke up, probably thinking he was being supportive or funny.

Morgan scowled at him, suddenly hating him for forcing her to do this. She tried to think of some clever retort, but found herself unable to.

Needing to just _get away_ she stood up and brushed herself off, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and marched out of the gym. As soon as she was out of Nightwing's view, she shook her wings, which were hurting from all the strain she'd just put them in, and felt tears built up in her eyes.

Morgan could sense more than hear Nightwing behind her.

"Please, for once," She growled out, "Leave me alone."

"I don't understand what it is I'm doing wrong here." He sounded confused. There was a hesitation but also desperation in his voice that Morgan hadn't expected to find.

Pausing, she realized that, as new as this whole thing was to her, it was new to him too. He'd been forced to train her, probably against his will, and she'd done nothing but make his job hard since the beginning. Morgan wasn't sure if he'd ever mentored anyone before, but she could understand that it wasn't an easy task. Especially when everything you do seems to be the wrong thing.

So, for once, Morgan decided to not throw everything he did back in his face.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Morgan tried to keep her voice soft, still turning her back on him. "I just.. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Okay." Nightwing heaved a sigh, "We'll wait." He was about to walk away, Morgan could hear that, but she stopped him and finally turned around.

"No!" she blurted out. He paused and looked back at her over his shoulder. "If we wait, I'll never be ready. I think its best that I keep trying. Otherwise I'll never be able to try again. It's now or never."

He nodded and looked thoughtfully at the floor. "You will try again tomorrow, after your normal training."

He turned to her and gave her a stern look, his voice hard.

"If you want to have a future on this team, you need to get those wings up and running. And you need to accept them. You need to think of them as a gift instead of a curse."

Morgan wanted to retort with some scathing remark, but she had to admit to herself that Nightwing was absolutely right, so instead she silently watched him walk away.

To keep herself from perhaps screaming with frustration, Morgan growled out and punched the wall.

Her fist left a nicely sized dent in the otherwise sturdy steel-wall.

"Shit!" Her eyes widened, adopting the panicked look of a caged animal, _I have to hide this, they can't see, they can't know!_

Her hands came up and hid the hole behind them. Morgan looked around frantically for some solution to suddenly appear. _Calm DOWN Morgan!_ She screamed at herself, realizing that there really was no way to hide the hole. If she placed something over it, someone would surely notice it, and that would draw even more attention to the dent.

_I'll just say I threw something at the wall and created the dent. They don't have to know about.. that._

Needing to get away from the Cave and the trapped feeling that swept over her, she walked into her room and slipped on the charmed necklace. Briefly, she felt a buzzing throughout her whole body that ended in her wings, the tell-tale sign that the pendant was still working.

Her wings would now be invisible to humanity.

She slung a small bag over her shoulder and put the credit card and her new phone in it. She had some shopping to get done anyway, now that Nightwing had assured her that she was supposed to use the credit card.

Her room was still left un-decorated, and her closet wasn't even half full. She'd had a specific shop in mind for a week now, but had been holding it off, for reasons unknown.

Morgan decided that now was the time to finally settle down properly in the Cave. She'd been avoiding it for some time now. But changes were coming. First, she'd make herself more at home in her room, to fully accept her new life, and then she'd work on accepting her wings.

* * *

><p>These past few chapters has just been a compilation of pretty short scenes, a story telling mode I'm really not a very big fan off, but it's because I want to not only adapt and develop Morgan's relationship with Nightwing and the others, I also don't want to skip several weeks at a time while she's still so new to the Team in my haste to reach the second season of the show, which begins at the end of december.<p>

So I promise the chapters will get more coherent soon enough, I just need to properly place Morgan in her new life!

Fun fact: I actually have a tumblr dedicated to my fanfictions. It's mainly small updates on the writing process, sometimes a sneak peek, questions I want to ask my readers, and drawings of characters and layouts of rooms and stuff, as well as answering questions whenever somebody asks them. So if you have a question you really wanna ask me, be sure to stop by and ask it there as I'm much more likely to answer them there than here because I'm horrible at remembering to answer reviews. Or you could just PM me, I'll probably answer your question that way.

If you're interested in checking it out, the URL is feathers-in-the-night

(If the URl isn't active anymore, I've probably changed it and you can find the new URL on my fanfic profile)


	7. Power

Chapter Seven

Power

December 13th

Nightwing really should've known something like this would happen.

He'd told Morgan that it was okay to use the credit card to make herself at home and to buy herself some more clothes.

And he really should've known that she'd end up doing it in the most annoying way she could.

So, when Morgan came to the gym the next day, sporting a black tank top with the Batman symbol on it, and a smug look on her face, Nightwing told himself that he really shouldn't be surprised. At all.

He also knew that anything he said, she'd be able to throw back in his face. He was the one who'd told her to, not only buy more clothes, but also get used to the idea of superheroes, and being one of them.

Nightwing allowed himself a weary sigh. "What is this?"

Morgan sported an innocent look that Nightwing immediately saw through. He could also tell that she'd meant for him to see through it, as she was usually good at keeping her emotions off her face.

"What ever do you mean?" Her innocent look melted away as she was no longer able to contain the stupid, smug grin that appeared on her face.

Nightwing, as he'd already concluded, knew he couldn't chew her out, so he closed his eyes, praying for patience. "Let's just spar." He sighed, deciding that was the safest route to take.

And, if he accidentally was a little harder on her during training than usual, it really wasn't intentional (It totally was).

Half an hour later, after Morgan had done a lot better than he'd expected, Nightwing decided that it was time for him to knock her confidence down a few pegs. Just to remind her that she was still a novice.

So he declared, "I think it's time we started working on your acrobatic skills."

Morgan gave him an absolutely incredulous look, for once keeping her mouth shut. She didn't need to speak anyway. Her skeptically raised brow and un-amused eyes spoke for her.

"Well, you need to be able to move around in various terrains, don't you?"

"I have wings." She deadpanned. "I don't _need_ to jump around."

"What if you injure a wing? Or you're grounded for some other reason?" He argued, walking over to a small console that was settled into the wall next to the gym's main doors. "You need to be prepared for any kind of emergency. Besides," he punched in a few commands, "acrobatics gives you a great advantage when you fight. It allows for more flexibility and lets you experiment with your style." The gym rearranged itself, hoops lowering from the ceiling, various instruments moving around on their own, creating what looked like a really high-tech obstacle course.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Nightwing's voice was overly cocky. This was a field where he was the unchallenged master.

For a few minutes, Nightwing allowed himself to practically fly around the huge gym, never once touching the floor.

Because he needed it to look like he was teaching her and not just showing off to remind her that she still had a _lot_ to learn, he kept explaining what he was doing, droning out acrobatic libido that he knew Morgan would understand very little of.

He approached the very end of the room, where three pillar-like landings stood with about three meters between them, each taller than the one in front of it.

"It's all about having a mental map of the landscape and being able to calculate how much strength you have to put into each movement to reach your next destination."

He decided to ignore the way she crossed her arms over her chest and muttered a "Dickface.." that, because of the gym's acoustic, could easily be heard.

"Like this." He took a few steps back and ran forward suddenly, somersaulting towards the first pillar, where he landed on his hands for only a second before shooting off for the next one. He landed in a crouch on it, his back to the last pillar. Without looking, he jumped into another somersault, intended to land him on the last pillar.

Instead, to his horror, he found that he just barely missed the landing, his left foot sliding off of the edge, his body plunging towards the hard wooden floor.

He landed with a dull _thud_, a small gasp leaving his mouth as all the air was punched from his lungs. Behind him, he could hear Morgan snickering.

For a moment he just lay there, thoroughly confused.

He was absolutely certain that he hadn't miscalculated that last step.

He should have landed right in the middle of the last platform.

Nightwing sat up slowly, his left shoulder aching from the fall and glared back at the snickering girl. Morgan burst into full out laughter at his sour face.

"Not as good as you thought, huh? Maybe you're out of practice." She mocked.

Nightwing narrowed his eyes even further at the overly satisfied smirk on her lips.

"I calculated that right." He grumbled and stood up. "I know it."

"Yeah, yeah." Morgan scoffed. "You fell on your ass. Admit it."

Nightwing looked suspiciously at the last landing once and then faced the girl again. He heaved a sigh and rubbed his sore shoulder.

_I must be more tired than I thought._

_"_I think that's enough for today." Nightwing sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow, same time as usual."

Morgan saluted him and left the room quickly, obviously eager to get out of there.

Nightwing stood in the gym a bit longer and had a mental battle with himself.

In the end, he shook his head, internally scolding himself and left the gym.

He walked up to the Zeta tube and through it, ending up in Gotham. There, he used one of Batman's secret tubes and appeared in the Bat cave.

He had some video footage he needed to look through.

All of Mount Justice was under surveillance, which included the gym. All of that footage could be accessed via the Bat cave's computer. Dick would be able to see exactly where he made a mistake during training. A small nagging voice in the back of his head told him that he hadn't made a mistake and that there had to be some other explanation.

He found the right video and skipped to the part he needed.

Slumping in the chair, Dick watched as he executed the first two moves flawlessly, inwardly cringing as he mentally made ready to watch himself fail miserably.

Dick's mask-less eyes widened and he sat ramrod straight when he noticed that, right as Nightwing kicked off of the middle pillar, the last one _moved_ by itself, resulting in his inevitable fall.

He paused the video and rewound it, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the seemingly alive pillar.

Yes, it was definitely moving several inches to the left all by itself.

Or was it really doing it by itself?

Morgan was standing in the bottom left corner, standing with her back to the camera, visible from her hips and up.

He rewound the video again and focused on Morgan this time, not entirely sure why he thought she was involved.

His eyes widened in shock for the second time in just as many minutes when the girl's right hand shot out, her hand flat, palm first, and made a quick pushing motion into the air, just as the pillar moved.

_Could that be?_ He rewound the footage again and watched it in slowmotion. _Did she?_

The second time around, there was no mistake. Though she was started several meters away from the pillar and only pushed at air, she'd definitely made that platform move somehow.

It felt like a flash of lightning went through him when he suddenly remembered the first time he'd seen her. She'd been cornered in that alley, but the would-be assaulters had been buried under a mountain of trashcans that had all suddenly fallen down, unprovoked, seemingly on their own.

He remembered the way she'd hesitated when Batman had asked her if she had any other powers.

He remembered saying that she was definitely hiding something.

And apparently, he'd been right.

_I think I need to pay a certain feathered girl a visit._

* * *

><p>December 14th<p>

There was definitely something off about Nightwing today, Morgan decided ten minutes into their training session.

It was true that the teenage Boy Wonder wasn't usually a particularly chatty person, but he'd barely said a single word to her since his arrival, which was new. Usually, he'd at least grunt some orders at her. Today he just scowled and came with one-word sentences and answers.

She wondered what exactly she'd done to piss him off this time.

Maybe he was still mad about falling the day before.

Which was, technically, her doing, but honestly, if he hadn't been so infuriatingly smug and insufferable, she wouldn't have moved the landing, so it was _arguably_ his own fault.

Besides, she'd regretted doing that as soon as she'd done it – not because he fell down because that part was incredibly satisfying, but because it had honestly been too big of a risk to run for something as petty as making your mentor fall on his ass.

Still, it had been very satisfying to watch.

Not that she currently had time to savor the moment right. She was too busy dodging his oncoming attacks to focus on much else.

It was a wasted effort though. No matter how hard she tried, the fact that he had every advantage there was on her, and he'd had ten years to hone his skills, made her own efforts feeble and pointless.

It was like a newborn baby fighting against a warlord.

Morgan would never admit it, but she was secretly incredibly glad that he was on her side – somewhat. Right now he certainly didn't seem like he was on her side. Anyway, she was secretly glad that he was usually on her side because Morgan did _not _want to try going against the tall teenager in a real fight.

She'd managed to hold her own against him for a full five seconds – a new record? – when he forced himself through and punched her right in her temple, making stars erupt across her vision.

"Ow!" She exclaimed and took several steps back to create some distance between them. "Watch where you're aiming, dickface! We're just _training!" _

"That wouldn't have happened if you'd concentrate for more than three seconds at a time." He accused, his voice only slightly louder than usual, but filled with an anger that couldn't be missed.

He didn't give her time to respond before coming at her again, harder, faster and stronger than before.

Morgan realized just how much he'd been holding back during all of their training and found herself truly intimidated by the teenager for the first time in the few weeks she'd known him.

She kept taking steps back to avoid his attacks, and suddenly she found herself cornered, her back pushing against the gym's wall. She saw his fist racing closer, aimed straight for her face, and acted instinctively.

She ducked under his arm and, tapping into the power she'd attempted to keep hidden, she braced her two hands in front of her, pushing forward, fingers only slightly coming into contact with his chest.

The effect was immediate, and Nightwing was flung away from her, landing several meters away on the floor with a groan.

Morgan gasped with the realization of what she'd just done.

"I knew it!" Nightwing sat up and looked at her accusingly. He quickly got on his feet and took a few steps closer. "You have powers!"

Morgan froze for a second before recovering. She snorted and sent him a look of disbelief. "Powers? Me?" she breathed out and leaned against the wall. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nightwing scoffed. "Please. Like you'd ever be able to do that without."

Morgan's face turned into an angry mask. "Look I don't know why you suddenly think I have some kind of power, but I don't. I'm already a freak; I have wings. I don't need any stupid powers to add to that."

"That's it, right?" Nightwing didn't even sound angry anymore. He almost sounded excited. He sounded like a detective that was putting the last pieces together in a murder case that had been particularly difficult. "I had wondered why you felt the need to hide your powers, especially considering how useful they'd be to you as a superhero, but now I get it. You think you're a freak, and if you can't hide your wings, you're certainly going to hide your other powers." He eyed her and Morgan knew he was looking at the orange pendant around her neck. She'd been wearing it almost constantly since he'd given it to her, and Morgan knew he disapproved of it. Whatever. She didn't take orders from him. _I actually do, _Morgan thought wryly, _but still._

Morgan sighed harshly. "You're insane. I'm leaving." She uncrossed her arms and moved herself off of the wall, heading for the door.

Nightwing walked briskly towards the exit himself and arrived just before her, cutting her off with an arm between her and the door.

"You figured if you kept them hidden, you'd still have some kind of hope, small as it is, that you'd someday be able to have a normal life again."

"_Alright!_," Morgan exploded. "I admit it!" She turned around and flung her arms out aggressively. Several of the instruments scattered closest to them moved on their own, some more than others. A few where knocked over, or flung several meters away, while some barely moved at all.

"Now move before I do the same to you." She threatened, voice dark. Nightwing didn't budge, so Morgan sighed, rolled her eyes, and slipped under his arm without another word.

She heard him follow after her and wondered how many times she was going to storm out of the gym with him on her heels for some sort of big confrontation.

Neither said a word as she walked down the hall and into her own room. Although Nightwing was one of the most soundless walkers she'd ever come across, she knew he was there.

"Morgan," he said, unusually soft, "You could've told us. Your powers, whatever they are, are a gift, not a curse, no matter what you seem to think."

She scoffed and flopped down on her bed, slipping the pendant over her head, untangling it from a few wayward curls, spreading her rapidly growing, grey wings out.

"I'm serious." Nightwing stressed. "You could achieve much with them, help many people. Save lives."

"Exactly." She murmured, an arm draped over her closed eyes. "Ever heard the saying 'with great power comes great responsibility?"

"That's from the Spiderman movie," Nightwing flatly pointed out.

"Well, just because it's from a movie doesn't mean it's not true. All _I_ want from life is to just graduate college, get a job at some laboratory, and spend the rest of my life in there. That's all I want. It's not like I can get married and have kids with these," she grabbed the end of one of the wings and lifted it up. "But I can't even allow myself to follow that plan now because I can do _more_. I can save people, so I have an obligation to do it."

Nightwing looked at her like what she said was incredibly stupid, but admittedly true.

"You shouldn't help people because you think you _have_ to. You should do it because it's a natural urge. An instinct."

Morgan finally removed her arm from her face and sat up on her bed, her feet planted on her floor, her arms leaning on her knees. "You heroes are cut from a different cloth than the rest of us. You have this _drive_ that lets you do the things you do for the greater good without breaking along the way." She spoke with admiration and wistfulness in her voice because she had to admit she wished she was like that too. She _wanted_ to be brave and selfless and helpful, she just doubted that she could. "A normal person wouldn't be able to willingly put themselves in mortal danger again and again for the benefit of others the same way you do. You make it seem like the most natural thing in the world."

"Why do you have so little trust in normal humans?" Nightwing sounded genuinely confused.

"They haven't exactly proved me otherwise." She said bitterly. She met his eyes and hated the look of comprehension on his face. He knew she was talking about her dad and the way he'd abandoned her and her mother all those years ago. Morgan hadn't mentioned much about her father's abandonment, but she'd let a few bitter remarks slip every now and again, remarks that she knew Nightwing had taken note of.

"Morgan." Nightwing said seriously. "If you don't want to become a hero, you don't have to. We'll help you settle down somewhere and you can get a normal life. As normal as you can get, anyway."

He looked at her blankly. For once, there was no scorn or smugness or anger, or any other expression on his face, not even his usual slight disapproval, which seemed to be the most common look on his face. It was open and blank, like whatever she chose wouldn't bother him, which comforted Morgan in a way.

"But to me that sounds like running away." He finished.

Morgan realized that he was right. By now she was in too deep in this hero business anyway. She'd grown oddly fond of the Cave's other inhabitants, and found that she didn't want to leave them now. It was true that the thought of fighting villains and being in actual life-threatening danger did scare her, but she knew that was only normal. She'd talked with M'gann about it once and she'd told her that she'd been terrified on her first mission. But she'd also promised her that it got better after a few times and that you learned that there was always a way out.

Morgan took comfort in M'gann's words, and right then they lent her the courage to look Nightwing firmly in the eye and say. "I'm staying. I want this."

* * *

><p>December 15th<p>

The next day, Nightwing and Morgan spent an hour testing her abilities. She had admitted that she really didn't know much about them herself as she'd limited her use of them as much as possible.

"All I know is that's it's not the same kind of telekinesis as M'gann's. I can't make things float. It's more like a push, like an extension of my arms. And I can't just do it with my mind. I _have_ to use my arms, or legs if I'm really desperate. Some things are easier to move than others; Like, I can't move plants very well, but metal and rock is easier."

They had their first outside lesson. Nightwing showed her a 'secret' way in the Cave that lead upwards and ended in a small hatch that you could open and you'd end high up on the side of the mountain. Here, he had her throw stuff around, using both her arms and legs.

They discovered that it was like her limbs sent out a force field of sorts that pushed things away or pulled things towards her. They discovered that she could also use it to strengthen her own punches.

"That explains that fist sized hole in the wall next to your room. I thought it had been made by Connor."

She shrugged and punched another rock, howling in pain when nothing happened except the sound of something cracking in her hand. "I forgot to concentrate!" She bit out, clutching her hand. Her knuckles were bleeding.

Nightwing turned his back on her so she couldn't see him trying to hide an amused smile. "Come on. Let's patch you up."

They were getting along oddly well, and he didn't want to ruin it by laughing in her face.

He could hear the girl's curses all the way to the infirmary, leaving him wondering how such a small body could contain that much fire. It was true that Morgan doubted herself and her strength, but Nightwing actually didn't, as much as he pretended to. She'd said that heroes where cut from a different cloth than normal people, and she was right, but Nightwing didn't think she realized that she was cut from that cloth herself. She had spirit and fire, and a stubbornness that he suspected would save her life more than once.

"Sit down."

She sat down on a cot, her wings spread out so she didn't sit on them by mistake.

Nightwing had had her practicing her flying every day and she was making progress with it. This morning, she'd flown up and touched the ceiling of the gym, and then flown an entire round around the gym before landing again. He could see their muscle mass increasing every day.

In fact, he could see her getting stronger overall every day. She wasn't too thin anymore, but well-fed and healthy, with toned muscles, a product of the hard training she'd been through for roughly a month now.

Nightwing got a clean cloth and made her clean up her dirty, bleeding knuckles. She flinched whenever the disinfectant touched the tender scrapes, hissing under her breath. Then Nightwing grabbed her hand, emitting a squeak of pain and probably surprise.

She was silent as he felt for any broken bones, perhaps awkward from their close proximity. Nightwing didn't mind. Or rather, he didn't care.

"Nothing's broken," He said, taking a step back, "But you probably shouldn't go punching anymore rocks, at least for a couple of days." He smirked slightly at her and Morgan rolled her eyes before hopping off the cot.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>December 17th<p>

On December 17th, Morgan was met with the sight of a letter leaning neatly against her bedroom door.

She hadn't received any letters since her arrival – understandable since the Cave wasn't really her official address, and she didn't know anyone who'd send her mail anyway.

She'd just finished practice and was headed back to her room for a long warm shower, which was sometimes the only thing that helped her viciously aching muscles.

_Thanks, Nightwing_.

Morgan had been walking down the hallway, water bottle in one hand, the other busy with rubbing at her sore neck, when she noticed the letter, stopping short. She kind of just stared at the thing for a while, thinking that _surely someone had made a mistake_.

Shrugging, she picked it up, spotting the insignia on the front.

"_Gotham University_." She mumbled under her breath, flipping the letter around once, then twice. It was indeed addressed to her, but she was having a hard time understanding why Gotham University was trying to contact her.

She had a thought.. but she dismissed it quickly.

Then Morgan opened the letter and confirmed her thought.

"_Dear Miss Morgan Louise Jørgensen," _it started, before continuing with congratulating her on getting accepted to the university with a full Wayne Foundation Scholarship.

There were three things Morgan knew for sure.

First, she hadn't applied to any university or any scholarships.

Second, she found that she actually really wanted to go. She'd been out of school for a month now and, honestly, she'd been itching to go back before her education was permanently ruined.

Third, she was still going to _murder_ Nightwing for enrolling her without her permission.

Holding the paper in her clenched fist, she marched towards the main room of the Cave, where she knew Nightwing was in the middle of sending a small squad on a mission.

She arrived just in time to see the telltale white light fade from the Zeta tube, and she knew the squad had already left. Fine. She'd be able to confront him without creating a scene in front of the others.

"Hey, dickface!" She shouted before she could stop herself. Nightwing stood with his back to her and finished typing something on the holographic computer, shutting it down before turning to her slowly, a look on his face that clearly showed that he did _not_ appreciate the nickname.

Not missing a beat, Morgan slammed the letter against his chest. "What's this?!" Nightwing caught the letter and, still not speaking, looked it over.

"I'm assuming it's exactly what it says. A letter of acceptance."

"Yes, I can see that." She growled out, snatching the papers from him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What, you think I enrolled you?" he shot back, his tone incredulous.

"Well, if you didn't, who did?" Morgan pointed out, her arms crossed over her chest and her right hip jutted out. Her wings were bristling with annoyance.

"I did."

The two teenagers both turned around to spot the tall, dark and imposing figure that had spoken.

Morgan didn't even bother wondering how Batman had entered the Cave unnoticed. Maybe he had entered through the garage. Either way, he was Batman. He could do stuff like that.

"Batman? You enrolled her?" Nightwing asked, an undertone of anger in his voice that Morgan hadn't thought anyone would ever dare use against Batman, least of all Nightwing.

"Morgan needs to resume her education before it's too late." He informed in a tone that left no room for arguments. "She will begin after the Christmas break." He shifted so he was mainly facing Nightwing. "I trust you will make sure she is given the necessary equipment."

"Yes, Batman." Nightwing bit out after sighing loudly. Morgan sensed that he wanted to protest quite a bit, but she was unsure why. Other than perhaps making sure she had a pencil and a backpack, this really wasn't going to involve him, and shouldn't pose a problem for him at all.

"Good." Batman said shortly. "Dismissed." The two teenagers both scuttled off at his dismissal.

"Not you, Morgan." Batman suddenly spoke up, making the girl stop in her tracks.

Nightwing sent her a look of disbelief and – _was that jealousy? – _before walking off again.

She took a deep breath and turned around to find Batman studying her intensely behind that mask of his.

"Yes, sir?" She said politely, not sure if she was supposed to call him 'sir' or 'Batman'.

"Nightwing has informed me of your other superpower." He explained shortly. Morgan wasn't really angry with him for telling, she had supposed it would have to come out eventually. She hadn't expected him to keep quiet.

"Yes, well.." She forgot all of her previous politeness and shrugged. "Surprise?" She shrugged uncertainly.

"If you would allow it, the League is interested in running a few tests on you to discover the nature of your abilities and perhaps shed a light on what exactly you are." Batman went on, somehow making it sound more like an order than a 'friendly suggestion'.

Morgan held up both hands defensively. "I swear, I'm just a normal human." As an afterthought she added. "Who happens to have wings and telekinetic powers."

Morgan sighed and started over. "Look. As far as I know, both of my parents are perfectly normal humans, as am I. _But_ if it would make you feel better, sure, do your experiments. As long as it doesn't hurt."

Batman inclined his head once. "Expect to be collected tomorrow at noon. And pack so you have clothes for several days. We can't know for sure how long these tests are going to take."

Morgan took a small step back, suddenly petrified with the thought of leaving the Cave for more than an afternoon.

"Where am I going?" she asked, her voice betraying the uncertainty she felt.

"Star Labs."

* * *

><p>So a lot happened in this chapter I guess. I'm still really not a fan of the whole 'short scenes' thing, but I also don't want to make the story boring, by adding unnecessary scenes and details so..<p>

Funfact: The idea for Morgan's power came to me as I was doing the dishes and this pot almost fell of the counter. I instinctively reached out for it even though I couldn't actually reach it from where I stood, and the pot stilled immediately and didn't fall to the floor. The whole thing kind of looked like I'd mentally stopped the pot and because I was thinking about my fanfic while it happened, I decided to incorporate it into the story.


	8. Never Felt More Alive

Chapter Eight

Never Felt More Alive

December 20th

"What do you mean the results were 'inconclusive'?" Morgan inquired angrily.

Before Nightwing had the time to answer, Batman answered for him. "It means that despite all the performed tests, we are still not any closer to figuring out exactly what you are. The experiments offered no informative results."

Nightwing wordlessly handed her the file he knew to be hers. He'd read through it this morning, and had to admit that they were, indeed, very inconclusive. Apart from where her tests revealed that she had wings, she appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly normal human being. There was nothing significantly off, other than her blood pressure being slightly lower than what was the norm. Which didn't have much to do with her having powers or wings, Nightwing figured.

"So I let myself get prodded at for three days for nothing?" She said, her tone more frustrated and disappointed than angry now.

Batman inclined his head, which Nightwing knew was the only sign of sympathy his former mentor was going to show, and then headed for the Zeta tube without another word.

"I'll see you tonight, Batman." Nightwing spoke up, reminding him that they did have an appointment tonight. The brooding hero didn't turn around as he disappeared in the white light of the Zeta tube, but both teenagers knew he'd heard Nightwing.

"I was so hoping for some answers.." Morgan murmured, heaving a heavy sigh.

Nightwing raised his hand hesitantly before placing it on her shoulder in a show of comfort. Morgan turned away from the Zeta tube and faced him.

"We'll find some answers." he squeezed her shoulder once before dropping his hand. Morgan narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at him with what appeared to be suspicion, which kind of annoyed him. He was only trying to be nice. Still, she looked at him like she thought he was hiding something from her, and Nightwing had to admit she wasn't wrong. Batman hadn't changed anything in her file, but he and Nightwing had done some research of their own, which Batman hadn't added to the file. He wanted to tell her, but he had been ordered to not say anything by Batman.

"Come on, let's go a few rounds. You've been neglecting your training while at the lab." he was willing to do anything to get that suspicious look off her face so he wouldn't have to feel guilt gnawing at his insides.

Morgan smirked slightly. "There's the Nightwing I know and annoy."

* * *

><p>Dick arrived at the Batcave later that evening, parked his motorcycle by the entrance, and marched right in. Bruce was already there, sitting in front of the computer, cowl pushed back.<p>

"Why didn't you tell her?" Dick demanded without as much as a hello. He took his mask off and threw it onto one of the Batcave's work tables.

Bruce didn't move. "Until such a time where we know for sure that our suspicions are true, you will tell her nothing."

Nightwing found himself uncharacteristically angry on behalf of the winged girl. "She deserves to know." Dick stated firmly.

"Dick.." Bruce finally turned to his ward. "Can you imagine how she'd react if she was told that her scientist father might be the one responsible for her wings because he experimented on her as a child?"

Dick had to admit he could see Bruce's point. He sighed and slumped against the desk. "She's going to tear me a new one when she finds out I've been keeping this from her." He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, already getting a headache at the thought.

Bruce stood up and put a hand on Dick's shoulder, not unlike the way Dick had done to Morgan earlier that day. "Get some sleep. You can stay here for tonight. Tim would appreciate it."

Dick offered Bruce a grateful smile. "It'll be like old times."

Bruce face fell a fraction and Dick immediately regretting saying that. If things were really like old times, Jason would still be alive. Dick felt an old wound re-open, and knew he'd unintentionally caused his adopted father another night of regret and guilt.

"I'll go help Alfred with dinner." Dick needed to get away from Bruce before he did something stupid again, like apologizing for what he'd said, which could only end badly. Bruce would pretend he didn't know what Dick was on about, and Dick would then insist that they talk about it, which would end in an argument and then one of them would lash out at the other and they would not talk for a few weeks.

After the argument that had made Dick move out and become Nightwing instead of Robin, he'd been cautious around Bruce, not wanting another fight like that ever again. It had taken him months before he forgave his mentor and it wasn't until Bruce had gotten injured and hospitalized that Dick sought him out again and mended their strained relationship. In their line of business, you could never know if your next conversation with someone was actually going to be your last, and so Dick had learned he couldn't afford to fight with Bruce for a longer period of time.

He stepped into a changing room and slipped out of his Nightwing get-up, into a pair of jeans and a dark grey t-shirt.

Walking through the old grandfather clock, Dick found himself in the mansion. He steered through all the well-known halls, heading for the kitchen. He found both Alfred and Tim in the kitchen, one making dinner and the other making.. something.. out of a split-apart toaster and what Dick recognized as the remote to the TV from Tim's room.

The two occupants both look up from their work when he entered.

"Master Dick, what a pleasant surprise." Alfred said, pleasant as ever, and Dick found an easy smile – the first genuine smile of that day – growing on his face. Due to his casual attire, Dick knew that Alfred already knew he was staying the night. He'd learned to pick up those kinds of things long ago.

"Hey Alfred," Dick stepped further into the kitchen and grabbed a plum from a bowl on the kitchen table, biting into it. "Need any help with dinner?"

"No thank you, It will be finished in a moment."

"Hey Dick," Tim said, an eager smile on his face. The younger boy was bent low over his contraption, only sparing Dick a brief look before focusing intently on his work again. Dick ruffled Tim's short hair, earning a faux annoyed grunt from the boy.

"What're you working on?" Dick asked.

Tim never got to answer because just then, Alfred placed cutlery and plates in front of Dick. "If you'd be so kind, Master Dick." He requested, and Dick immediately picked it up with one hand, his other grabbing hold of the collar of Tim's white tank top, dragging him with him.

"Hey-!" Tim protested, but still allowed Dick to drag him into the dining room.

Together they set the table quickly.

"So," Tim said, and Dick instantly knew he was going to ask Dick something that would annoy him. "How's training going?

Dick inwardly groaned. "Morgan is.. making lots of progress. She'll be ready for her first mission soon, I expect."

Tim looked surprised, his blue eyes big. "Really? You do know all of our missions tend to end with something exploding, right after everything went the exact opposite of according to plan, right?"

"Well, I didn't mean one of our bigger missions, obviously. I was thinking about taking her out on patrol tomorrow. I think it'd make her realize that I'm not training her to annoy her, but to help her survive." Dick admitted.

"Is she being difficult? I haven't had a chance to talk to this Morgan myself yet, but M'gann seems awfully fond of her."

Dick smiled a small half-smile. "M'gann is fond of most people. But yes, Morgan is a bit difficult. She's stubborn, with an attitude, a tendency to get way too defensive and she likes fighting and arguing far too much."

"So, basically, she has the potential to become a perfect superhero."

Dick shrugged. "Yeah, exactly. She doesn't even realize it herself though, and she's less than receptive when I try to talk to her about it."

Tim smirked. "By time you met a bit of resistance from the ladies."

Dick rolled his eyes. "This is different. I'm trying to train her, not romance her."

Tim didn't stop smirking. "True. But I still think it's healthy for you. The only other woman I know to have ever made your life difficult is Barbara."

"Well, I haven't tried to romance her either." Dick pointed out. "Maybe it's when I attempt to train girls that things go wrong."

Tim shrugged. "Maybe."

Alfred came into the dining room, placing a stew that smelled absolutely delicious on the table.

One of the worst things about moving out was missing Alfred's cooking every night. Dick had lost count of how many night he'd had to resort to instant noodles because he didn't have the time or energy to cook anything else.

Alfred walked up to the bookshelf flanking the entire right length of the room and removed a book, pressing down on a button that was connected to a communication system that led to the Batcave. "Master Bruce?"

"Yes Alfred?" Bruce's calm voice came from the other end.

"Dinner is served."

"I'll be right up."

They mostly ate dinner in silence, and Dick couldn't help but think that it was his fault. Bruce was more sullen than usual, and Dick and Tim were both squirming in their seats as they waited for dinner to be over.

Once it was, Dick excused himself to his old room, which he could see was left completely untouched. The young hero had to admit he was kind of exhausted. All the night patrols he was doing, combined with the all-nighters he had to pull to finish his homework on time was starting to catch up to him. He thanked his lucky stars that Christmas break had started as he slipped into his old bed – still the comfiest place on earth if he excluded all the nights his younger self had slept in Bruce's bed when he'd had nightmares. Bruce's bed was the comfiest place on earth, but Dick's own bed was a close second, he decided while burying himself in his comforters and pillows.

* * *

><p>December 21st<p>

Morgan blinked at Nightwing. Paused, opened her mouth, closed it, and then blinked some more. Nightwing patiently waited for her to say something.

Eventually, the only thing she got out was a "huh?"

Nightwing sighed, and Morgan could tell he was rolling his eyes at her behind that irritating mask of his.

"I said-"

"No," Morgan interrupted, waving a hand at him. "I heard what you said. I'm just wondering why the _heck_ you suddenly want me to join you on patrol."

"I guess that much should be obvious. It's training."

Morgan closed her eyes briefly and crossed her arms over her chest before opening them again, still not entirely sure how she was supposed to react. "It's like you want to get me killed."

Nightwing had the nerve to look confused. "If I didn't think you could handle it, I wouldn't have asked. Besides, it's not like I'm going to drop you off on the most dangerous street of Gotham in the middle of the night in nothing but your underwear and then pick you up in a couple of hours. We're going to _Happy Harbor._ And I'll be there to help you throughout the whole thing."

Morgan studied him for a moment, thinking about it.

It wasn't like she didn't want to do it. For a week now, she'd been itching to go out and _do_ something with all that training of hers. She'd told Nightwing once that she didn't really _want_ to go out and save people all of the time, that she didn't have it in her, but that hadn't been entirely true. It wasn't true _anymore_, at least. She actually _did_ want to help. She _did_ want to feel like she was making a difference.

A small thrill went through her when she realized that this would be like 'going public' for her. Her first real appearance on the superhero stage.

_What the hell,_ Morgan decided, and nodded at Nightwing. "Alright. Just give me a moment to change."

Nightwing tossed her a black mask, not unlike the one he was wearing himself, which Morgan caught on instinct. "You have five minutes. Wear dark colors."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Morgan kind of wished she'd worn something warmer. They were, after all, in the middle of December, and while it was still a few degrees above sub-zero, there was a viciously cold wind blowing through the city. It was the kind of wind that seemed to seep right through your clothes and into your bones. At the very least the mask now covering her eyes – an unfamiliar feeling she knew she'd grow fond of – shielded them from the wind, allowing her to see clearly.<p>

"Can we get off of this stupid roof top at some point?" She asked through clenched teeth. Nightwing and Morgan had been stationed on top of a tall building for about ten minutes now, and she honestly didn't understand what he was looking for.

She ruffled her feathers and attempted to shield herself somewhat with her wings. "My wings are getting stiff from the cold."

Nightwing didn't look away from the streets before them as he said, "If you intend to keep complaining about every little thing, this is going to be a very long night for the both of us."

Morgan sighed harshly, but wisely chose to shut up, wrapping her arms around her knees to keep her warmth from disappearing. As much as the wind was bothering her, Morgan knew that the tall building was the most logical choice for them to camp out. They had a clear view of a large part of the city from it.

"There." Nightwing said suddenly a few minutes later, pointing at a jewelry shop a street over. He stood up and pulled out his grapple hook.

"Finally!" Morgan groaned, standing too. She looked at the jewelry shop and saw four sketchy looking guys in the middle of breaking open a window.

Nightwing fired his grapple hook into the building next to him and turned to Morgan. "Think you can fly down?"

Realizing that her choice was between flying down herself, or clinging to Nightwing in a cliché Tarzan-Jane moment as he swung them both down, Morgan decided she'd rather fly.

She grimaced at him. "I think I'll take my chances."

She could tell he was rolling his eyes at her again, but she didn't comment on it.

Nightwing jumped off the building and swung down, which Morgan had to admit, looked really cool.

"Okay.." She mumbled. "My turn."

Shaking her wings a few times to get feeling back into them, she walked up to the edge of the rooftop, trying to keep her heart under control.

She'd never done something like this before. Fear seeped into her limbs, and she took several deep breaths of the cold night air to calm her spinning head. She wasn't necessarily afraid of heights. She just wasn't fond of jumping off buildings.

Looking down she saw Nightwing waiting for her at the bottom of the building, and new determination appeared in her. She was not going to embarrass herself in front of him. She's rather break a leg.

She beat her wings up and down, harder and harder, until, finally, she lifted off of the rooftop. A strong wind blew her away from the edge of the roof, leaving nothing but a terrifying drop and then the street beneath her.

Letting out a small, scared squeal at this, she started beating her wings furiously so she wouldn't fall down. Eventually, Morgan realized that if she kept doing that, she'd soon tire out, as her wings weren't that strong yet. She needed to find a way down, and she needed to find it _now_.

Taking a deep breath, Morgan remembered watching animal programs with her parents when she was younger. She remembered the way the birds in the sky used their wings and the wind to glide through the air without having to beat their wings much. She remembered her father, her brilliant scientist of a father, explaining to a seven-year-old her how that worked.

Morgan spread her wings out as big as she could, and turned them downwards, using the wind to glide gradually towards the ground. She straightened her body, keeping her arms to her sides so she became more aerodynamic.

Tilting her body so her right wing was bent further down than her left, she started gliding in a curve, allowing her to land fairly close to Nightwing. She took a deep breath, thankful that she'd gotten down unharmed. Her heart was still hammering away in her chest, her breathing labored.

"Let's not," She gulped and leaned forward, her hands on her knees. "Let's not do that again."

"You'll get the hang of it eventually." Nightwing encouraged her, oddly supportive. "Now let's go."

He fired his grapple hook again and disappeared onto another roof top.

"Damn him.." Morgan grumbled and took off again.

A minute later, Morgan, wings utterly spent now, only just managed to grab onto the edge of the roof top. It was a sharp edge made of steel, and she felt her left palm dig into it harshly. The pain, combined with the fact that her body slammed into the brick wall, almost made her let go of the ledge.

"Uh, Nightwing?" She groaned from her unfortunate position. "A little help?"

A moment later, she looked up to see a pair of black gloves wrap around her wrists and pull her up. As she was pulled up and was able to look up over the ledge, she saw that the black gloves weren't attached to Nightwing, as she had assumed, but rather, one of the younger heroes she'd seen around the Cave. She recognized him as Robin.

"Thanks." She sat down on the ledge, grimacing at the pain in her left hand. She looked at it, frowning at the blood that was slowly oozing from the medium sized slice in her palm. "Damn it.."

"You okay?" Asked Robin. He dug into one of the pouches he had on his belt, handing her a roll of clean white cloth.

Morgan shrugged as an answer his question and accepted the offered bandage with a small smile of gratitude. "What are you doing here?" Morgan questioned, hoping it didn't sound rude.

Robin smirked a smirk that made Morgan think he spent too much time with Nightwing. "I was invited."

Nightwing chose to show up at that moment. "You're late."

Robin looked dryly at him. "I had some other business."

Morgan was focused on attempting to wrap the gauze around her hand, so she didn't pay much attention to the exchange between Robin and Nightwing. The wound looked dirty, and she'd have to wash it and dress it properly when she got home. But right now she just didn't want it to bleed all over, and to not let it be a hindrance on their patrol.

She fumbled with the gauze. It was difficult enough to dress it using only one hand, but her hand was also shaking from the cold, her joints stiff.

"Let me." Nightwing offered after she'd sighed with frustration at the uncooperative gauze. Morgan shifted slightly when he sat next to her and undid all her hard work. He rewrapped the bandage and tied a tight knot. The three heroes had been silent as the grave while he dressed the wound, Robin studying the two older heroes in front of him like a hawk.

"Make sure you clean this back home." Ordered Nightwing and stood up. "Now let's go get those jewel robbers."

By the time they'd reached the scene, the robbers had already managed to break open the window.

The three teenagers were perched on the top of the roof parallel to the jewelry shop. Morgan eyed the big, bulky and tough looking thieves, nervousness blossoming in her chest. Before she even had the time to squash the nerves down, a hiccup made her small frame jump.

Robin shot her a look, and when she delivered a second hiccup, so did Nightwing.

After giving her al look, Nightwing seemed to decide that ignoring her was his best course of action because instead of acknowledging her, he started analyzing their opponent. "Alright, so I see four of them. No visible weapo-"

_"__Hick!"_

"_Will you stop that_?" Nightwing turned to her, visibly annoyed.

"I can't." She snapped. "That's not how hiccups work, dummy."

Nightwing sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You've got to be kidding."

Robin burst out laughing, turning it into an awkward cough when Nightwing glared at him.

He glared at Morgan next, who managed to get the hiccups under control as she stared innocently back.

Then he began relaying the game plan again. "Okay, so we'll surround them-"

_"__Hick!" _

"Oh, for crying out loud."

Nightwing placed a hand over Morgan's mouth, silencing the hiccups while he explained the plan. "We'll attack from three different angles so they don't scatter. Okay?"

Morgan nodded behind his hand when he looked at her. She got the feeling that he was making extra sure to explain everything because this was her first time.

They turned their attention back to the four thieves as the three of them got into position. The robbers were arguing about who should go in first, apparently afraid of cutting themselves on the broken glass and leaving behind DNA.

"Well, if none of you are going to volunteer, I'd love to go first." Nightwing joked loudly. He was standing on the fire escape of the house across the street, leaning casually against the railing. The four brutes all turned simultaneously, emitting various sounds of alarm.

"It's one of Batman's brats!" Yelled the one that appeared to be leader.

"What is he doing in Happy Harbor?" The shortest of the bunch exclaimed.

Robin swooped down and landed on the sidewalk, smirk still firmly in place. "Make that _two_ of Batman's brats." He quipped. "And we don't like to be called that."

The thieves huddled closer together, fists raised defensively in front of them.

Suddenly, a girlish squeal and the loud ear-grating sound of several trashcans falling over could be heard behind them and the four thieves jumped in surprise as they turned to look at the commotion.

Morgan, as suggested by Nightwing, had tried to land behind the thieves, so they'd be caged in, but she had miscalculated and had flown head-first into a cluster of trashcans, which she had scattered all over the place.

Hurriedly standing up in the middle of the mess she'd made, Morgan, inwardly cursing herself, casually flicked a piece of garbage off of her shoulder. "Is this the part where I deliver a clever one-liner too?"

"I think we're past that." Nightwing, who had literally face palmed at her less than impressive entrance, said. "Let's just beat them up and leave them to the police."

And they did. Nightwing and Robin immediately engaged the four men. They bravely attempted to fight back, one of them even pulling out a gun, but the two heroes were much too experienced to let a bunch of jewelry thieves get the better of them. Before long, two of them were unconscious and a third was on the ground, nursing a broken nose. The gun lay forgotten in the middle of the road.

Morgan still hadn't moved. In a strange way, she felt bad for hurting them. She kept thinking that she didn't really know their background story. What if one had a wife in the hospital and no way to pay the bill? What if they had a debt to pay to some drug lord or something? She felt like beating them up was unfair. True, they shouldn't be stealing, but what gave her the right to beat them up for doing it? She guessed that was why people had called Batman a _vigilante_ before he'd gained his superhero status.

"Morgan!" Nightwing shouted at her, waking her from her whirlwind of thoughts. She looked up at him. "What are you waiting for?"

Nightwing had a firm grip on the fourth brute, forcing his arms behind his back in a tight lock. He was kicking and cursing but the tall teenager barely acknowledged this.

He looked at her incredulously and Robin had a small smile teasing at his lips as he studied her like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Morgan." He repeated when she didn't react. The guy in his grip managed to get a good kick on Nightwing's right leg. "Will you _stop_ squirming?" He barked, irritated at the guy.

"Sorry." She forced out. "What do you want me to do?"

"Defend yourself." Nightwing let go of the guy with one arm and fired his grapple hook onto the nearest rooftop. He nodded at Robin and he did the same. Then Nightwing kicked the would-be thief away from him, sending him sprawling by Morgan's feet. The two boys slung onto the balcony Nightwing had been on before they engaged the thieves, leaving Morgan alone with the robber.

_He is such a dick.._ Morgan thought while the grown man – who had to be a more than a head taller than Morgan and twice as broad – got to his feet and faced her, fury in his eyes.

"They expect me to fight a little girl?" He sneered mockingly even as he eyed the wings on her back with a weary look.

Morgan frowned immediately. "They expect me to fight a normal human?" She found that the banter came to her surprisingly easy.

All thoughts of not wanting to hurt him flew out the window when she faced him. He was looking at her with a cruelty in his eyes that erased any doubt in her mind whether he really deserved a good beating. When he lunged for her and she jumped to the side, Morgan almost got downright angry with him.

He turned faster than Morgan would have expected someone his size to be able to, his fist aimed for her face. But if there was one thing Nightwing had taught her, it was dodging. Since the very beginning, he'd drilled into her that she was smaller and thus less strong and more vulnerable, and her number one rule had to be to never get hit. Unlike guys like Superboy, she couldn't just block a strike, she had to dodge it. Be in constant movement.

Jumping back, she breathed in deep to clear her head and remember her training.

Angered and defensive due to his attempted hits, Morgan growled. "You shouldn't have done that."

She focused on one of the trashcan lids and flung her arm out, sending it flying towards the man. With a crash, the lid hit him on the side of his head, sending him to his knees.

"Bitch!" He groaned, clutching his smarting temple.

Morgan looked up at Nightwing with as much casualness as she could muster in her anything-but-casual state. "Am I expected to knock him out?"

"By all means." Nightwing gestured casually to the guy, who was getting back on his feet, blinking furiously, probably in an attempt to rid his vision of the stars Morgan knew he was seeing.

Morgan nodded, and, just because she knew she'd have to draw blood with her bare hands at some point and she might as well get her first time over with, she formed a fist and threw it back before sending it straight for the guy's nose. Her hand, thankfully not her injured one, throbbed painfully at the contact, but judging by the crunch of his nose, and the howl he emitted, she suspected the thief was in much more pain than her.

He fell back on his ass in the middle of the road. Too late, Morgan saw one of his flailing arms bump into the forgotten gun, his hand closing around it. With blood dripping from his nose and down his face, the thief looked absolutely murderous as he pointed the gun right at her.

"Shit," Morgan heard someone – Robin she later realized – utter behind her, but she barely took notice, her entire focus aimed at the man in front of her.

"Stay back or she dies!" The robber threatened at the two boys that had landed behind him, only a few feet away.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret," Reasoned Nightwing, his voice calm, placating, but with an undertone of alarm.

Morgan felt her insides turn to ice with fear. There was a gun being pointed at her. The guy who was holding the gun was already mad at her because she'd broken his nose and given him the headache of the year. He had threatened to kill her already.

She was going to kill Nightwing, if she wasn't killed first herself.

_This is your own damned fault!_ Morgan reminded herself in her head. _You joined this business willingly, so pull yourself together at take responsibility for that. Now stay alive!_

With a start, Morgan realized that, just because she couldn't physically touch him, she could still pull that gun out of his hands. _Thank you freaky telekinetic powers!_

"Don't do something I'll regret?" Sneered the man. "Like this?"

She knew before he did it that he was going to pull the trigger. Right as he pulled it, Morgan, acting on instinct, straightened her arms out, palms towards him, and flung her arms upwards, manipulating the metal in the gun until it moved upwards on its own.

_Bang!_

"_Morgan_!"

She felt more than saw the bullet pass right over her head, missing by mere inches. The intense relief she felt made her legs shake to point where she fell forward onto her knees.

Before the man had the chance to take aim again, Nightwing and Robin were upon him, and he was beaten unconscious and tied up before Morgan even had a chance to properly process what had happened.

Robin was finishing up on tying the four thieves up, and Nightwing hurried over to Morgan.

"Are you alright?"

The anger Morgan would normally have felt in such a stressful situation, anger she'd usually aim at Nightwing, was absent from her system, leaving her slightly numb and very confused.

"Yeah, I'm.. yeah."

Still shaking she attempted to stand, accepting Nightwing's offered hand for once.

"Let's get back to the Cave. I think this is enough training for tonight." Nightwing suggested carefully. He sounded like he was afraid she'd blow up at him. Or maybe cry.

Morgan nodded numbly and didn't even complain when he wrapped and arm around her waist and fired his grapple hook at a nearby building, taking her with him.

Back at the Cave, Morgan had gotten over _some_ of her shock, but she still found her anger unusually absent.

"I'm going to bed." She said slowly and left Nightwing and Robin in the main room. She either forgot or just didn't care about her still injured hand, content to ignore _it_ and the rest of the world as she slipped underneath the covers of her bed, still fully clothed.

There, she cried. Cried because someone had _pointed a gun at her and tried to kill her_, because she missed her mom, because she was worried about starting school, because she felt like the strain she was put under was going to eventually break her, because it had been _so long_ since she'd allowed herself to properly cry over these kinds of things.

And she also cried because she still thought that tonight had been, minus the shooting, incredibly exciting and she had _liked _fighting that guy and the thrill it gave her. She had liked how alive she felt, even as she stared death in the face, liked the way the adrenalin made her heart pound throughout her entire body, setting every single nerve on high alert.

Morgan cried because she wanted to do it again.

* * *

><p>I'm very much satisfied with this chapter, which is a good thing because the <em>last<em> chapter was kind of unsatisfactory. Hope you guys liked it! What did you think of Morgan's debut on the crime fighting scene?

Fun fact: While I've only posted roughly 35.000 words on the story so far, I've actually been working on it for six months and have written about 160.000 words already.


	9. Making an Effort

Chapter Nine

Making an Effort

December 23rd

"Wait, so you usually open your presents on Christmas _Eve_?" asked Garfield, offering Morgan a strange look.

The girl shrugged from her position on the floor. She was lying on her back with a pillow under her head, her legs slung over the arm rest of the couch.

"It's a Danish thing. My dad introduced it, and my mom and I didn't stop doing it even after he left. It became a family tradition."

"So no Christmas morning?"

"No Christmas morning." Morgan agreed, nodding solemnly.

"Tell us about Danish Christmas." Morgan had to admit, M'gann's absolute fascination with Earth cultures was a bit flattering. The Martian was standing in the kitchen, kneading cookie dough. There were already a finished batch on the table, and another one was cooking in the oven.

"Well, you know, it's a lot like the American kind. We eat a nice dinner, we sing Christmas songs around the Christmas tree, and then we open our presents together afterwards. Then, a few hours later, we go to bed, and that's that."

"Try these." M'gann requested, levitating two cookies from the finished batch into the air and towards the two teens lounging in the living room.

"But why?" Garfield asked Morgan, looking like he was having a very hard time understanding why they'd open their presents the twenty fourth instead of twenty fifth. When a cookie appeared right in front of his face, he immediately grabbed it and finished it in one bite.

Morgan shrugged again, plucking the other cookie out of the air. "I dunno. That's how they do it in Denmark. My dad's from Denmark, so that's how he did it. I'm not sure why they do it on the twenty fourth."

"Well, tomorrow night you can only open _one_ present." M'gann decided firmly. "We'll all open one on the twenty fourth, and then the rest on Christmas morning."

Seeing the looks of protest on both Morgan and Garfield's face's, M'gann quickly said. "Cave rules. And I'm oldest, so what I say goes."

"Fine." The two grumbled simultaneously.

"This is delicious, M'gann." praised Morgan after finishing her cookie. "But we already have _so many_ cookies. Why are you making more?"

"Because Wally and Artemis are coming over to exchange gifts." She said simply, like that explained everything.

"Aaaah.." Garfield sounded like that _did_ in fact explain everything.

Morgan was confused. She didn't even know who those two were. "I don't get it." she admitted. She felt a small prodding at her heart when she realized that, despite the fact that she was supposed to be a part of this team, and that she'd been here for a month and a half now, she still wasn't really _part_ of the group. She didn't understand all the inside jokes, she wasn't part of any of their crazy stories, and she didn't know a lot of her team mates that well, to be honest.

"That's okay." M'gann giggled. "They were before your time."

_Yeah, way to rub it in, _Morgan thought, feeling that small squeeze in her heart again. She realized now that she, more than anything, wanted to become an active and accepted part of the group. She found that she actually wanted to start joining them on all of those missions Nightwing and Mal sent them on. She wanted to stop feeling like an outsider in what was supposed to be her home.

After that night of patrolling with Nightwing and Robin, she'd changed her entire outlook on the business.

Fighting that guy – minus the shooting part because that had been, like, _so_ not cool – had made her feel more alive than she'd felt in years, and she was finally starting to understand why the others got excited with a new mission. That adrenalin kick, plus the feeling of doing something _good_, something for the benefit of others, had made her eager to get out again. Nightwing had promised to take her with him on patrol once again between Christmas and New Years Eve, and Morgan couldn't wait.

"Anyway," M'gann started, shaking Morgan of her thoughts. "Remember Kid Flash?"

"That red-headed kid in the red and yellow suit from a couple of years back? Yeah, I remember him."

"That's him alright. Anyway, he eats like no one you've ever seen before. I think it's due to his faster metabolism. He explained it once."

Morgan shifted her position so she could look at M'gann, though the image was upside down. "So what you're saying is that this guy literally eats so much that you have to bake extra cookies whenever he's over?"

"Yeah."

Morgan made an impressed noise and settled down again, staring at the ceiling.

Somewhere in the Cave, a Zeta tube blared to life, announcing the arrival of _Artemis _and _Kid Flash_.

"They're here!" M'gaan cheered and set down the jar she'd been piling cookies into, flying out of the kitchen in a hurry.

Garfield hopped off the couch and Morgan slipped her feet off of the armrest, sitting up.

"Come on, Morgan, We'll introduce you to them." He told her, as if reading her mind. Morgan had been wondering whether she was supposed to go and greet the two visitors too or if she'd only get in the way of 'old friends bonding'.

Standing up, she followed behind the energetic, animalistic boy.

M'gann was hugging a tall, slim, young woman with tan skin, dark eyes and long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Beside her stood a slightly taller, freckled, red-headed guy with a pair of sparkling, friendly eyes and an easy smile on his lips.

"Garfield, hey!" He greeted cheerfully, high fiving the short boy.

"Merry Christmas Wally!" The boy instantly replied. Morgan found the man's eyes landing on her, studying her wings for a second before meeting her eyes. Morgan briefly wished she'd worn her necklace, but ignored the urge.

"This is Morgan." Garfield announced. "She joined the Team a month ago."

"Cool!" The red head shook her hand. "The world can always use more heroes."

Why then, Morgan wondered, had he decided to quit the business?

"Hi," The blonde woman caught Morgan's attention next. "I'm Artemis."

"Morgan." She shortly replied, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"So, are you related to Hawkgirl?" Wally questioned next.

Morgan shook her head. "No. I'm just me. No connection to any superheroes."

"Oh," The two looked surprised, like this was something unheard of.

Morgan sighed inwardly before briefly explaining her story, how Nightwing spotted her by a coincidence and then brought her to the Team and started training her.

She stayed long enough to greet the two guests – it was the only polite thing to do – but after that, she quickly slipped away. Somehow, they made her uncomfortable. She didn't think they were doing it on purpose, but they spoke in this way that sounded condescending to her. Like their choice to quit the life had been the only right thing to do and that the rest of them would do the same at some point.

Morgan knew the problem was most likely her and not them. She was too sensitive and reading things between the lines that weren't actually there. Paranoid was probably a good word for it. Besides, they'd been talking to M'gann and not her at the time. This caused a certain level of familiarity that allowed them to talk more freely, which was what made Morgan feel like they were coming on a bit too strong about leaving the life behind. And since she was only just entering the hero life, she couldn't understand why they'd leave it.

So, she made some excuse about training and disappeared from the room.

In a way, she was glad that they'd seen her wings. At least they marked her as someone special, someone who belonged on the Team. Surrounded by all of these tall and muscular people, some of them sporting very distinct characteristics, like green skin, scales or blue armor, she'd have looked far too small and human if she hadn't had wings.

Morgan stopped short when she realized that she'd just considered someone _not_ seeing her wings bothersome.

_Huh_, she thought,_ I guess I really am getting better at accepting them_.

She'd said she was going to go train, so, Morgan figured, she might as well.

Stepping into the gym, she pulled her hoodie off – which was always a bit difficult because she had to get her wings through their holes – revealing a Green Lantern t-shirt, and punched a command into the computer. Nightwing had taught her how to change the layout of the room to meet her specific training needs, so in a matter of seconds, the room was the perfect obstacle course for flying.

A small smile spread on her face when she only needed a single powerful beat to rise from the floor. Another beat found her a foot in the air, and then another left her in the middle of the room. She really was getting better at a pretty fast rate.

Half an hour later she had to call it quits. She'd already trained earlier that day, so her wings were getting tired. Nightwing had taken the next few days off because of Christmas, but given her lots of instructions on what to train and for how long.

"And don't skip out. I'll know if you skip out." He'd warned ominously. Morgan figured he had the entire Mount Justice under surveillance and sat cooped up in his home, watching everybody's movements like a creepy, stalker hawk.

Morgan hadn't even known that you could take a few days off in this business. Still, watching Mal dish out missions was an improvement to watching Nightwing do it. Mal was a lot nicer and like to stay and chat with her a bit afterwards. Nightwing was an all work and no play kind of guy. At least, that was Morgan's experience of him.

Morgan slipped into her room, eager to take a shower. It was bothersome to wash and dry her wings afterwards, but she didn't mind doing it. She considered it 'bonding time' with them. She took good care of her wings and gave them a lot of attention, figuring that it would make her like them better. When you spend a lot of positive energy on something, you're bound to grow attached to it.

She pulled her clothes off, thanking the stars for the hundredth time that every room had its own private bathroom. Just like her hoodie, her t-shirt was tricky to get off. She'd cut slits into all of her shirts from the neck to the middle of the back, and added buttons on them so she could close the hole around her wings, avoiding pieces of cloth hanging loose. It required a lot of work, but in the end it was worth it.

Morgan stepped into her bathroom in nothing but her underwear. She stood in front of the mirror and studied herself. Her wings had grown unnaturally fast in the last month and a half. Morgan stretched them out as far as they could go, and did the same with her arms, noting that the wings were several inches longer. They weren't quite finished growing – don't ask her how she knew that, she just did. Instinct, probably – but they'd nearly doubled in size since she'd arrived. She'd been eating enough for two anyway, so it made sense.

While most of the energy from that food seemed to go straight into her wings, her body had changed a lot too. Morgan had never been particularly gifted in the chest area, but she'd gone from an A-cup to a B, bordering on a C, since she'd arrived.

Still, she noted, she had a rather pear shaped body. Her small boobs were not that impressive, but she had a set of fairly wide hips that – if she did say so herself – gave her gait a certain sway that she knew guys found attractive. All her training also made her legs, arms and stomach – not to mention her _butt_ which looked absolutely amazing now – toned, for which she was eternally grateful. If nothing else, at least all of Nightwing's nagging had graced her with a good and healthy looking body.

Morgan pulled her wild curls out of the tight bun they had been in, letting them fall around her shoulders. After having her mentor yank on her hair one too many times during training, she'd went and gotten it cut. Not too much, because she secretly loved having long hair, but now it fell a few inches below her shoulders instead of reaching down her back.

The haircut had had a positive outcome too. With some of the weight gone, her curls were now bigger and bouncier, making her hair look even wilder than before.

Morgan was glad for her wide hips and wild hair – they balanced her big wings out nicely, overall making her look more harmonious.

Stepping into the blessedly warm shower, Morgan soon forgot her bodily scrutiny and started working on washing her wings and tired body instead.

* * *

><p>December 27th<p>

Nightwing strode into the Cave's living room, looking for one particular curly-haired, winged girl.

He found not only Morgan, but also Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, and Batgirl lounging around, playing cards. Seeing the teen heroes sitting down and doing something relaxing was such a rare sight that Nightwing found himself stopping in his tracks and taking in the scene with surprise. The four of them were staring at their cards with more intensity than a game of Uno honestly called for.

They were all sitting around the small coffee table in the living room, Cassie and Barbara on pillows on the floor, and Blue Beetle and Morgan on the couch. Blue Beetle was sitting normally, but Morgan had her knees bent and tucked up to her chin, balancing on the soles of her feet. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, holding the cards in front of them. With the wings on her back, the intensely focused look on her face and her strange position, she looked like an owl and the thought almost made a smile twitch on his lips.

Almost.

"Morgan." He spoke up, making the four teenagers look up at him.

"What's up?" Morgan was the first to look back down on her cards, and she made her move, causing Jaime to groan loudly. "You're skipping me again? I have more cards than you three combined!"

Nightwing sensed that getting her to come with him while she was having a good time with the three other heroes would probably cause her to be less compliant than she usually was – which wasn't much to begin with. He also didn't want to interrupt them when they were enjoying a quiet moment.

"Just.." He cleared his throat. "Come to the main room when you're done."

"Aye aye, captain." She saluted him absentmindedly, eyes still on her cards.

Nightwing nodded and stepped around the corner into the kitchen instead, filling a glass with water.

"You really should treat him better." Nightwing heard Barbara say. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but since they spoke in an open area, with other people around, he assumed the conversation wasn't private.

Besides, they were speaking about him, so that practically gave him the _right_ to eavesdrop. Nightwing knew he had a habit of walking without a sound, the result of years of training, so he knew Barbara probably thought he'd already left.

"Oh?" Morgan answered, allowing for Barbara to elaborate.

"Well.. Nightwing's the leader of the Team and that means a lot of responsibility lies on his shoulders. And a lot of work. Taking care of this team is almost a full-time job, and training you just adds a lot to that stress. Not to mention he has school on the side."

He heard Barbara sigh. "What I'm trying to say is.. He's doing his best. And I think if you'd let him, he can teach you a lot of useful things.. not just fighting."

There was a long pause, in which Nightwing decided that he'd better leave them alone. He strode, just as silently as before, towards the main area of the Cave.

"I'll give it a try." He heard Morgan's answer just as he walked out of earshot.

Nightwing decided that, if she was going to try and get along, he'd do the same. Honestly, he figured training her would be a lot more pleasant if she dropped that attitude.

Then again.. Nightwing wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't exhibited quite a bit of attitude too.

Maybe it really did take two to tango.

Though, and he'd argue this to until the day he died, she totally started it.

Five minutes later, Morgan came out.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." She neutrally greeted.

_Huh_. She apologized. Maybe she really was trying to get along with him.

"It's fine." He assured her, motioning for her to step closer to the computer he was working at.

"After the first time we patrolled, and the one last night, I thought you might need something other than a black hoodie and sweatpants to fight in, if you want to start making a regular appearance in the streets as a crime fighter." Nightwing said. "So I think it's time we designed your costume."

"Oh." Morgan looked surprised, and then excited. "Sure would be a lot cooler than what I'm wearing now."

"If you'd please take a step back." Nightwing asked rather than ordered. He eyed her clothes. Her jeans were tight enough, but she'd have to lose the baggy sweatshirt for this to work. "And take off your sweatshirt."

"Why?" She questioned, even as she did as asked. She was wearing a formfitting tank-top underneath, which was what he'd hoped for. He bristled in quiet annoyance at the Batman-symbol on the tank-top. The computer sent out a blue light, scanning her from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.

"Turn to the side." He requested next. "The computer is measuring your size. The costume needs to fit you perfectly, and this will make the design cater to your specific body type."

The computer scanned her from all four sides. Morgan whistled, impressed. "That's so smart. I'd pay good money to get shirts that can actually fit around my hips without being too loose everywhere else."

Nightwing wisely chose to not comment on that.

"It's ready." He announced. Morgan came up next to him, pulling her sweatshirt over her head again, her wings squirming through the holes she'd cut in the back.

"So, where should we start?" Morgan asked. "You obviously know more about this than I do, so I trust your judgment."

"Okay, uhm.." Nightwing paused, considering. He hadn't done this for some time and needed a moment to remember how he used to do it. "Well, I suppose the actual design should be the first thing. With your fighting style and abilities, heavy armor won't be necessary, as you won't be taking a lot of direct hits. I'd recommend something that gives you a lot of flexibility and allows you to move."

"So, like, _spandex?"_ Morgan declared, sounding doubtful, some of her sarcasm fighting its way through.

"_No_," Nightwing responded, a small amount of sarcasm in his voice too. "More like something along the lines of Batgirl's outfit. Not quite as revealing and thin as spandex."

Morgan shrugged. "Sure."

"You still have that mask I gave you?" Nightwing asked. Morgan nodded.

"Good. Do you want another one or will it do?"

"It's fine. I like it."

Nightwing nodded. "Good. We'll skip the mask part then." He concentrated back onto the design they were working on.

"Skirt or pants?" Nightwing asked, his hand hovering over the controls.

Morgan grimaced. "Pants. Definitely."

"Short or long?"

"Why don't you just teach me how to work the controls myself?" Morgan suggested. "I'm pretty sure we'll both be fed up with this soon."

"Okay, come here." Nightwing requested. Morgan stepped up and he showed her how they worked. "It's actually a lot like a dress up game, I suppose. You can see your work so far on this." He pointed at a small screen that showed a slowly rotating picture of the suit so far.

Morgan nodded and set to work. "Would it be smartest to wear gloves or not?" She questioned.

"For a normal human, it's probably smartest to wear gloves for protection. Will they affect your abilities?"

Morgan shrugged. "I'm not sure. I haven't tried them out with gloves on."

"Well, add them and if they do affect your abilities, you can just leave them out when the suit arrives."

Morgan did.

A few minutes later, the design was finished.

"Now I just have to decide the most difficult thing." Morgan groaned.

"Which is?"

"Color. I refuse to wear anything neon-y."

"Well, what about black? It's good for stealth." Nightwing suggested, drawing from his own experience.

"I'm leaning more towards a very dark blue."

"Alright." Nightwing leaned over and pressed a command, revealing a color chooser. "If you press on the blue, you can adjust the tone and brightness here." He pressed on the blue color and a new set of controls appeared, allowing for Morgan to darken the blue until it was practically a black.

"I've heard that dark blue is actually better if you want to hide in shadows. Black is too dark." Morgan added.

She looked at the design for a moment, placing a hand on her chin. She tapped her index-finger against her jaw thoughtfully. "It's missing something."

Nightwing shrugged. "How about a symbol?"

"Hm?"

"You want to be remembered, right? So, a symbol on the chest is a good idea. Most of us have one."

Morgan's eyes fell to the blue bird on his chest.

"I'm pretty sure the wings on my back will stick in people's memories just fine. But you're probably right. The suit would look less dull with something there. Only, what should it be?" She looked at him with a small smirk on her face. "All the good bird-related symbols are taken."

Nightwing allowed a small smile to tease the right corner of his mouth. "What about a pair of wings, then? You said it yourself; they are the most memorable part."

"That.. is actually a good idea." Morgan smiled slightly.

Soon, a pair of light grey wings – the exact same color as her wings, even with the darker grey tips – stretched from the middle of the chest and to the end of her shoulders.

"Done!" Morgan announced.

"Almost." Nightwing said, ignoring her groan and muttered 'party pooper'. "You haven't decided footwear."

"Ah, yeah, probably a good idea to have that too."

"I'd recommend some boots. They provide better support than normal shoes, and better protection."

"I'll trust your judgment." Morgan decided and found a pair that she liked. "Are these okay?"

Nightwing eyed the flat-soled, mid-calf, black boots. "They'll do nicely."

Morgan changed the color of her gloves to be black too, claiming it would look stupid if only the boots were black.

"So what now?" Morgan took a step away from the controls and looked at Nightwing.

"I'll send this to the Batcave's computer. Batman will take care of the rest."

Morgan nodded. "This was fun, actually. And I bet I'm going to love my outfit. Thank you."

Nightwing inclined his head to show he acknowledged her gratitude. Morgan left the room and, after sending Batman the design, so did Nightwing, thinking that interacting with the girl when neither of them were annoyed with the other had been surprisingly.. nice.

* * *

><p>So not much happened, <em>but, <em>that's only because the next few chapters are action packed! This is the last chapter before we enter the plot of the second season of the show, so from now on, there'll be action and drama and all the good stuff.

Fun fact: Morgan has a complete disregard of how to properly use furniture. She used to do it to annoy her mom, who couldn't stand when the girl had her feet on the couch or sat on the table, but now it's become a habit, and seeing Morgan sit properly on a chair is a rare sight.


	10. It Had to be Aliens

Chapter Ten

It Had to be Aliens

January 1st

Nightwing walked into the Cave's kitchen, Robin and Blue Beetle on his heels. "I've got a mission." He announced. Morgan, who was sitting on the table with her feet resting on a chair, along with the rest of the people in the kitchen – Garfield, M'gann, La'gaan and Connor – perked up at this and focused on him.

Everyone followed him out into the Cave's main room, where Nightwing proceeded to explain. "Clayface was spotted roaming around the sewers in Gotham City. Our job is to find him and bring him in." Nightwing pressed a few controls, pulling up a short video of a gross glob of clay passing by, not realizing that it was being caught on video. Morgan figured this was Clayface and decided that he had been rightfully named.

"Superboy, Miss Martian, Blue Beetle, Beast Boy, and Robin. You're going in. I've already filled Bumble Bee in and she will meet you on the site."

Morgan was about to ask if she could go too – fat chance, she knew – and La'gaan looked very much like he was about to protest too, but Nightwing aimed a glare at the two of them and Morgan shut her mouth, crossing her arms angrily over her chest.

La'gaan, however, did not give up as easily. "I want to go too. This is in a sewer. I have a clear advantage here."

"No, Lagoon Boy." Nightwing replied shortly, obviously not in the mood for arguing. "You're staying here."

Morgan watched the exchange, wondering why her apparent attitude was considered more of a problem than La'gaan's. At least _she_ didn't attempt to openly defy Nightwing in front of the Team.

Nightwing punched in some coordinates, and the squad was off.

"You should have let me go with them." La'gaan sounded poisonous. Nightwing sighed heavily and turned on his heel, facing the other boy.

Morgan had been about to leave, but this exchange looked like it could become interesting, so instead she leaned against one of the far walls, her arms crossed in front of her, watching them.

"You'll get to go when you're ready." Nightwing attempted to explain, but La'gaan was having none of it. He really did have more of a temper than what was good for him.

"I'm more than ready. I've been training for years!"

"Alright La'gaan, I'll make you a deal." Nightwing walked towards him and Morgan fought the urge to flinch. This couldn't be good. "If you can beat me in a sparring match, I'll let you go on the next mission."

This time, Morgan didn't fight the urge to flinch. She'd fought against Nightwing plenty of time to know that this was going to hurt. But if La'gaan had to be an ass, he would have to pay the consequences.

"Deal."

La'Gaan barely gave Nightwing time to hear his consent before he charged for him, screaming in that way that Morgan was quickly learning Superheroes liked to scream whenever they were fighting.

At least Nightwing didn't do that. That was one positive trait she would attribute to him.

She pushed herself off the wall and walked closer to better watch their sparring match. Nightwing stepped out of the way faster than she'd ever seen him move before, and grabbed hold of La'gaan's right arm, flipping him over his head and sending him to the ground. Giving him time to get up again, Nightwing waited steadily, his stance strong. La'gaan stood again and charged Nightwing, much like he'd done before.

_Idiot_, Morgan thought to herself. One of the things Nightwing had taught her was that you should never go for the same approach twice, especially not if it didn't work the first time.

And, predictably, like the first time, La'gaan ended up in a painful heap on the floor.

As much as she and Nightwing didn't get along very well, Morgan had to admit that he was a formidable fighter. He moved with a fluidity and practice that made one think he was born to do this.

Morgan watched La'gaan get up and this time wait for Nightwing to attack. Privately, she was kind of rooting for the Atlantean. But that was just because she was annoyed with Nightwing at the moment.

And when she said at the moment, she meant for the past month and a half. Oh, she had actually attempted to listen to Batgirl's advice and get along with him, and it had worked for about a day. Then there was training the next morning, where he'd been a bit too smug with his own awesomeness –_not_ that he was awesome – and Morgan had quickly fallen into her old habits.

So, she should at least get points for _trying_. Because she really had tried. A bit. Kind of.

Whatever.

"Ouch." Morgan muttered when Nightwing made La'gaan fly across the room and hit the floor with a loud _thud_.

Eventually, she got tired of watching La'gaan let himself get thrown around like a rag doll, and she walked back into the kitchen where she'd been reading a book before Nightwing had assigned the Team their mission.

She sat back onto the table top and placed her feet on the seat of the chair in front of her, grabbing her novel.

Half an hour later, La'gaan came into the kitchen and poured himself a big glass of water.

"Tired of getting beaten up?" Morgan quipped dryly, not moving her gaze from her book.

"No, just taking a break. Nightwing agreed that we'd go again in an hour." La'gaan answered, obviously deciding to take her sarcastic quip as an actual question.

"Why would you subject yourself to that?" Morgan groaned. "I have to fight him every day – which is not fun by the way – and I can tell you right now that you're probably not going to beat him. He's too good."

"I'm flattered, Morgan, but if Lagoon Boy wants to fight me, he can." Nightwing seemed to materialize out of the blue, much to Morgan's startled annoyance.

"God dammit." She exclaimed, jumping in her seat. She really hadn't meant for him to hear that compliment. "You silent walking freak! How is that even possible?"

"Practice."

"That's your answer for everything."

"It's a good answer." Nightwing shrugged. Speaking of practice, come on, I think it's time you went a few rounds. We'd didn't get to train yesterday."

Morgan grumbled loudly, but jumped down from the table and followed him into the main room. La'gaan followed them, obviously interested in seeing how well Morgan could hold her own, which was part of the reason she complained. It was bad enough that she was humiliatingly suckish compared to Nightwing, she totally didn't need an audience to witness this.

Forty five minutes later, she told herself that this hero business was _so_ not worth it. La'gaan was more cheerful than she'd ever seen him before, laughing his ass off every time Nightwing slammed her into the hard floor.

Nightwing offered her a hand up, which she accepted – but only because she wasn't sure she'd be able to get up on her own – albeit with a scowl on her face.

"You're doing well." Nightwing encouraged – lied more like.

"Yeah right. I suck." Morgan wheezed.

"For someone who has only been training for six weeks, you're doing well." He insisted.

"Whatever. Can you go back to beating up La'gaan? I'd rather watch someone else get their ass handed to them than go through it myself."

Nightwing look up at La'gaan, who nodded eagerly and stepped forward again.

Morgan, happ that she was finally out of the spotlight, stood to the side and watched them spar for perhaps fifteen minutes when Nightwing suddenly stopped the fight and pressed a hand to his ear, where Morgan knew his communicator was. He paused for a moment, listening to what was said, and then replied, "Good work Delta. I'll see you back at the Cave. Nightwing out."

So the squad had succeeded in their mission, apparently.

The short pause had given La'gaan the opportunity to surprise Nightwing, and he did make an attempt. Unfortunately for him, he still did that 'Superhero scream', alerting Nightwing to his presence immediately.

Aaaand La'gaan was back on the floor.

Another half an hour went by, Morgan switching between watching the two heroes and reading her book. At some point, Mal showed up and joined her in watching the sparring teenagers. She mainly watched them because she hoped to learn more about Nightwing's fighting technique, and perhaps discover some patterns and weaknesses, not that she had much success. He was very good, and she was very inexperienced, so Morgan didn't really know _what_ she was supposed to be looking for. She also marveled – not that she'd ever admit it – at how long he could keep fighting. Nightwing been fighting for almost two hours straight and he had made it seem like a breeze. Morgan figured he probably wasn't putting his all into it. He certainly hadn't given much effort when fighting her.

She cringed when La'gaan came flying by her through the air, landing with a groan.

"Neptune's beard!" He cursed, slamming a hand into the floor with frustration. "Not again!" Morgan could understand his frustration. Going against someone as good as Nightwing, you kind of wanted to beat him all the more because of his skill. Moreover, Morgan knew that Nightwing had won their little sparring match a dozen times over by now, and that La'gaan would probably have to wait to get assigned a mission even longer now.

She wished she'd get to go on missions too, soon, but that didn't make her stupid enough to engage in a fight she knew she wouldn't win, so Morgan didn't feel much sympathy for the Atlantean.

La'Gaan accepted the hand Nightwing offered him. "I don't care how many years you've been training, Chum, one day you gonna be mine." Despite his angry words, La'gaan did have a small smile on his face.

Nightwing smiled good naturedly. "I'm sure you will, Lagoon Boy."

Morgan looked up from her book at the detached female voice announcing the return of the others. Mal and she stood up to meet them.

She watched as Mal tried to engage his girlfriend in conversation, only to have her quickly explain that she had work to do. Morgan couldn't help but feel bad for the guy when she saw the look on his face.

She didn't' dweel on it for long, though, because just then, a foul stench reached her nose and it twitched uncomfortably.

"Urgh," She groaned, holding a hand over her nose as Superboy, Beast Boy and Blue Beetle walked towards her. "Okay, I'm glad I didn't join you guys. I'm never going into a sewer it _that's_ the kind of smell that's down there."

"I'm hitting the showers." Superboy announced in a monotone as he walked by them. Morgan heartily agreed when Blue Beetle said that that was probably a good idea, _especially_ for Beast Boy. Wet fur and Sewer water did not go well together.

Morgan was about to leave, not caring about the mission report or the rest of the small talk going on, when a large holographic screen made them all pause in their tracks.

_"__Emergency Alert!"_ the computer blared out, revealed a video screen with one the Leaguers that Morgan had yet to remember the name of. He had glowing eyes and looked to be made entirely of silver. _"United Nation's headquarters is under attack."_

Mal, relationships trouble apparently forgotten, pulled up a small screen of a map. "The Beta squad is close by." He told Nightwing, who had stepped up next to him.

Morgan walked further into the room to better watch what was going on.

"Captain Adam," – so _that's_ what his name was – "Our team's Beta squad is in the vicinity. They will be there in three minutes."

Captain Adam inclined his head and the screen disappeared.

"I'll let them know." Said Mal and Morgan watched as she assumed he was sending out the orders.

For not the first time, Morgan really wished she'd get to go too. She'd have to nag Nightwing about going on a mission soon. Of course, she knew her chances of going were slim, but perhaps if there was a less dangerous missions, he'd let her come.

* * *

><p>January 3rd<p>

"He was_ what?" _Morgan asked incredulously.

"A robot containing an alien. I just told you." Wonder Girl sighed.

They were lounging in the living room, Cassandra sprawled on the couch, an arm slung over her face, with Morgan balancing on the top of the backrest, her feet planted on the seat. Her and Wonder girl were hanging out in the Cave, both sulking because the senior members of the Team were up in the Watchtower and they were stuck down here.

Morgan bit into an apple."But why?" she asked between chews.

"We don't know. All I know is that I failed to protect the secretary. That guy ripped him apart!"

Morgan sighed. She hadn't talked a lot with Cassie yet, but she knew the girl really, really wanted to help, like _really _wanted to help, and any failure hit her hard.

"Don't worry about it. After all, nobody was hurt, right?"

"Yeah, but only because that wasn't the real secretary Tseng."

"But if it had been the real one, that guy wouldn't have tried to rip him apart right? He was there for the alien, so he must've known. Therefore, nobody was hurt and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it." Morgan bit noisily into her apple again, juice dripping down her chin. She quickly wiped it away. Cassie nodded mutely and reached for the TV remote, turning on the flat screen.

"_See? See? The big Alien rips open the phony secretary Tseng, pulling out the little alien!" _

"Oh, _great._" Cassie groaned when the TV showed her the exact news she'd been trying to avoid.

The girl was about to change the channel when Morgan stopped her. "Wait, I want to see this."

"Why?" Wonder Girl whined, pouting when Morgan shushed her.

The news reporter was someone named G. Godfrey – according to the name tag at the bottom of the screen – and he was scowling at the camera as he spoke bitterly.

"_What's the League hiding? We know we provide a safe haven for a Kryptonian, and a Martian But what if that's not all? What if the Amazons came from outer space?" _The blonde Amazon sitting next to her scoffed at that ludicrous accusation._ "Or the Atlanteans? How can we really know Flash isn't an alien? Or Hawkman? Or Icon? What are they keeping from the real earthlings like us?"_

Morgan scowled at the TV and the man's distasteful words, chucking her half-finished apple right at his face. It bounced harmless off the TV-screen and rolled away on the floor.

She felt a strange sort of anger from the way he was criticizing the League. She realized that it annoyed her because she was essentially one of the heroes he was questioning. Well, she was the kid version, at least. But any criticism aimed at the League was also aimed at her team, so she took what he said as a personal offense.

"What a pleasant fellow, that G. Gordon guy." She quipped sarcastically after changing the channel.

Wonder Girl scoffed, grimacing. "Yeah. He's always all up in the League's business. It's like he forgets all the good they do."

"How could anyone possible be against having a bunch of superpowered people fix all of their problems for them?"

Cassie shrugged, sitting up. "Paranoid people." She offered. "I have to go. It was nice hanging with you, Morgan."

Morgan smiled a small smile at the Amazon. "You too, Cassie. I'll see you whenever."

Cassie smiled back and started walking away. She paused and turned around. "Oh, and good luck on Tuesday!"

Morgan frowned, wondering if that was supposed to mean anything to her. "What's Tuesday?" She asked.

Cassandra laughed once. "Your first day of school!"

Morgan's face fell. She'd completely forgotten about that. Before she got the chance to ask the Amazon how she even knew about that, the blonde girl had flown out of the room and left Mount Justice.

* * *

><p>January 4th<p>

Dick walked into his apartment and immediately started ridding himself of his suit. He was exhausted.

It had to be aliens.

It just _had_ to be small, creepy-looking aliens that stole stuff from other planets.

And of course they were his problem. Well, his team's problem. Of course they were the ones that had to go and get rid of the aliens.

At the very least, they now knew what had happened in those sixteen hours the six Leaguers had gone missing, and would now be able to do something about it. A five year old riddle had been solved.

But that unfortunately meant more work for him.

As usual.

He stashed his Nightwing suit into the hidden compartment in his closet and flopped down on his bed, contemplating how extremely nice it would be to just go to sleep right then and there. He was behind on sleep anyway, having had to pull an all-nighter a few days ago to finish a school project. He was _always_ behind on sleep these days.

Dick almost felt himself slip away into sleep's sweet oblivion, but forced himself awake, sitting up.

He couldn't go to sleep just yet. He still had homework, and he hadn't eaten since lunchtime.

He also needed to work out a battle plan for their newest mission – track down all Kroloteans currently on Earth and destroy their secret bases – assign squads, and figure out who he'd send to Ran with Adam Strange.

Dick sighed and considered just laying down again and go to sleep. Maybe all his work would miraculously be finished by itself when he woke up next morning.

Standing up, he shuffled into his kitchen and poured himself a glass of cold water, slipping into a seat by his kitchen counter. He turned on his computer and stretched his tired back as he waited for the computer to get ready. He grabbed his phone and ordered take-out. He couldn't even stomach the thought of another night with either a cold dinner or a cup of instant noodles.

Glancing up at the watch on his wall, Dick suppressed a groan. He'd be lucky if he got five hours of sleep tonight, considering the already late hour and the workload that was waiting for him.

Around one AM, he had to call it a night, deciding that he couldn't very well do his homework when his eyes couldn't even focus on the screen in front of him.

He told himself that he would have time to plan out the Team's mission tomorrow, probably in school.

* * *

><p>January 5th<p>

Nightwing watched as the last few team members strode into the Cave's main room, everyone eagerly waiting for the new mission. He spotted Morgan in the mix and realized that he hadn't had time to train with her for two days now. He also needed to talk to her about her first day of school tomorrow.

Not for the first time, Nightwing felt like he was her babysitter and not her mentor.

"Alright guys, let's get started." He spoke up, silencing the small chatter that had been spread out across the room. He went on to explain the Kroloteans and what they were doing on Earth. How the alien race had been brought here by the League attacking Rimbor five years ago and how the aliens liked to steal technology from other planets. "It's all hands on deck." He clarified as he started to describe their mission. "The League and the Team will hit all fourteen Krolotean Zeta locations simultaneously."

He paused for a moment and looked over the small crowd, making sure everyone was following. "Your priorities are to destroy all Zeta tubes or platforms and search for any humans that the aliens may have abducted."

He walked back and forth, looking them all sternly in the eyes, feeling like a drill sergeant panning out orders to his legion. He supposed the description wasn't that far off.

"As always, Mal is the ops manager. Coordination comes from him."

Nightwing halted, distracted, as Lagoon Boy prayed to get on the Alpha squad.

Unfortunately for the Atlantean, Nightwing hadn't placed him on the Alpha squad, but Nightwing didn't spend much time feeling bad about it. He was the leader of this team and he got to make the calls.

"Wonder Girl, you and I will be Alpha. We're heading out to Philadelphia."

Wonder Girl's excited cheer was drowned out by Lagoon Boy cursing his bad luck.

"Give me beta then!" The green-skinned teen practically begged.

Again, Nightwing would have to disappoint him. He'd placed Lagoon Boy in Gamma, which Nightwing knew probably wouldn't please him. But, hey, at least he'd included him in the operation this time, right?

"Batgirl and Bumblebee," Nightwing sharply went on. "You're beta. Take Wolf with you. Assignment: Vlatavastok."

The two girls left the room, and Nightwing walked up to the three remaining boys.

"Robin, Lagoon Boy and Blue Beetle," He announced, not missing the sour look on Lagoon Boy's face. "You're Gamma. Your destination is New Orleans. Take the Bio ship."

"Gamma always gets the soft gigs." Lagoon Boy grumbled as he and Blue Beetle started walking away. Tim made to follow them, But Nightwing grabbed his arm. "Robin," Nightwing shot a look over his shoulder at Morgan who was still silently standing where she'd been the whole time with her arms crossed, "I'm putting you in charge of Gamma."

"Me?" Tim asked, surprised. "Dick," He whispered, leaning in closer so the winged girl couldn't hear. "I've never led a squad before."

"And this is the perfect opportunity to try it out. Get your feet wet as a field leader."

Robin narrowed his eyes slightly at him. "Because it's a Gamma mission and you're not expecting any trouble?" He accused sharply, hitting closer to home than Nightwing cared to admit. "Or because we're already stretched thin and you don't have any other choice?"

That boy was nothing if not perceptive. "Just.. don't die, okay?"

Tim's gaze softened a bit at the mixed affectionate and worried tone Nightwing used. They both knew what he really meant. _Don't die like Jason did._

"And avoid any unnecessary risks to the squad, okay?" He demanded, slipping out of his big brother role and into his team leader role with ease. "That's an order."

"Can I go?" The two teenagers looked up when Morgan suddenly spoke up for the first time since she'd arrived. Her words had been casual, like she'd been asking if she could go make dinner or some other non-dangerous activity.

Nightwing eyed her like she was insane, but she didn't acknowledge his look, standing with her arms crossed over her chest as she studied the picture of a Krolotean on the holographic screen in front of them.

"Are you nuts?" Nightwing blurted out before he could figure out a more dignified answer. "No!"

Morgan dropped her arms to her sides and turned to them, her face carefully blank. "Why not?" She argued. "Robin and Lagoon Boy already said it; this is an easy mission. And I have to start somewhere. What better place to start than on an easy and harmless mission?"

"Well – you.. there's-" Nightwing found himself lacking words, which he usually never did. Her reasoning was frustratingly logical. "You are _not_ ready."

She frowned at him, like his words confused her. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she asked, "What better way to become ready than going out there?"

"Nightwing," Robin unexpectedly spoke up, placing a hand on the older hero's bicep. "She's got a point."

Nightwing felt the sudden urge to growl in frustration when his younger brother suddenly ganged up on him with his infuriating pupil. He squashed the urge down, telling himself that it really wouldn't be very professional.

He weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He was almost a hundred percent sure that this mission was going to be incredibly easy. Most likely, they'd at best find an abandoned and small base, and so Morgan wouldn't end up in a situation she couldn't handle. And if he let her go, she'd probably stop nagging him about doing something other than training in the Cave.

On the other hand, if there really were Kroloteans there and she was hurt, that would be _his_ fault. And as much as he found her annoying and difficult to work with, he didn't her to actually get hurt. He also reminded himself that their missions tended to go awry.

But the chances were very slim.. And she _would_ be with three other heroes.

Nightwing sighed and massaged his temples slowly. "Fine."

"Yes!" Morgan hissed, curling her hands into fists and punching the air. "This is going to be awesome!"

Robin looked amused by her energetic reaction, but Nightwing wasn't. "If you're going," Nightwing said, walking into the corner of the room where he'd placed a package earlier. "You'll need this."

He picked the box up and handed it to Morgan, who sent him a confused look before prying open the lid. "I was going to give it to you after everyone left, but you'll need it now."

Morgan kneeled down and placed the box on the floor before slowly pulling out its contents.

"Oh my god, it's finished already?" She grinned, her finger trailing the grey outline of wings against the dark blue background.

Nightwing nodded when she pulled out the gloves and boots too. "I'll be right back, Robin!" She promised before dashing off to change.

"That's her suit?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Nightwing said. "We designed it a few days ago."

Robin nodded. Then he scratched the back of his neck a bit uncomfortably. "Listen, Dick, We'll take good care of her. She'll be okay. You don't have to worry about her."

"I'm not worried about her." Nightwing denied quickly – too quickly to sound convincing. "But if she is hurt, that'll be on my head."

"She won't." Tim reassured, sounding very confident.

Nightwing smiled slightly. "I know. I trust you."

The soft sound of boots on the concrete floor drew their attention, and the two boys saw as Morgan came around the corner, clad in her dark blue suit with her black boots and gloves, the mask Nightwing had given her covering her eyes. Her hair was loose, her wild curls spilling around her shoulders and wings, bouncing as she walked.

"So," She said, placing her hands on her hips.

Hips that, Nightwing just happened to notice, the tight costume hugged very attractively – not that he cared_ at all_. "How do I look?"

He cleared his throat. "Like a superhero."

He saw Robin out in the corner of his eyes squint at her suit and tilt his head. "Your suit actually looks a lot like-"

Before Robin could finish that sentence, Nightwing stomped on his foot. Robin grimaced in pain.

"Like a superhero suit. That was what I was going to say. Yes, it looks like a superhero suit."

Morgan smiled brightly. "Well, let's go then!"

Nightwing wished them luck and headed for the garage where Wonder Girl was waiting for him. He told himself that he would live to regret this decision.

* * *

><p>Next chapter might be a day or two late because I'm away from home. But it'll be worth the wait as we get to see Morgan on her first real mission!<p>

I hope this wasn't terribly confusing, I'm kinda assuming most people reading this story has already watched the second season of the show and knows what's going on. Otherwise, feel free to ask me what's going on and I'd love to answer!

Fun fact: This chapter was the first time _ever_ that I've written something directly based off of a scene that already happened in the canon media, so I hope I did it justice! Tell me what you think! :)


	11. The Soft Gig

Chapter Eleven

The Soft Gig

"Guys, we've gotten a last minute addition to our team." Robin announced as he and Morgan strode up to the Bio ship where Blue Beetle and Lagoon Boy were waiting.

Lagoon Boy groaned. "Great, now I _know_ this will be a soft gig when _she's_ going."

Morgan paused and frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're a rookie." Lagoon Boy pointed out. Robin flinched; probably halfway expecting Morgan to use her telekinesis powers to blast Lagoon Boy through a wall for calling her that.

Instead, she shrugged. "You got me there."

Blue Beetle chuckled and clasped her shoulder. "Welcome to team Gamma."

Morgan smiled at him and then she walked up to the Bio ship, studying it. "Now, how does this thing actually work?" She questioned. "I've never been in it before."

"We'll explain the finer workings of the Bio ship along the way." Robin promised as the ship's latch opened.

Before long, Morgan found herself inside the ship, and the four teenagers were headed for New Orleans.

She studied the controls in front of her, wishing she understood how they worked. Everything was bathed in a low purple light, and Morgan found herself studying the way it changed her usual colors with fascination. The dark blue suit was practically black in the low light. Her blonde hair was a light purple color, her skin a slightly darker shade.

She was practically bobbing up and down in her seat with excitement, not quite yet believing that Nightwing had let her go.

"We're there." Lagoon Boy announced, and Morgan looked up and out the window, spotting what appeared to be a junk yard right ahead. The Bio ship flew closer.

"A tool shed?" the Atlantean sounded positively affronted, like the shed had done him a great disfavor. "There's barely even room for a single Zeta tube in there!"

Morgan felt her spirits dampen slightly. The mission was apparently a lot less exciting than she had hoped for.

She told herself that it was probably for the best. Besides, what had she expected? Nobody had tried to deny that this would be an easy mission, so she was only getting exactly what she'd been promised.

"I knew we'd been saddled with the soft gig." Lagoon Boy groaned, slumping back into his seat in defeat.

Blue Beetle looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "And yet, I am strangely okay with that." As he leaned back in his seat too, his arms resting behind his head, his face took on a defensive look and he suddenly started rambling, seemingly to himself. "Yes I am!" He repeated three times, sounding more and more aggressive each time. Morgan and the two remaining boys looked at him weirdly.

Robin sighed and pressed a button on the controls in front of them. "Gamma squad to Cave."

Morgan turned in her chair and watched as a round screen appeared in front of Robin, Mal's face in the middle. "We're in position."

"Acknowledged, Gamma." Mal responded. "All Team squads and Justice League units are in place and ready. Go time."

Robin, Blue Beetle and Lagoon Boy all stood up and assembled with practiced ease. Morgan rose and followed after them a second later, not entirely sure what they were supposed to do now.

Lagoon Boy punched in a command, and a hatch opened in the back of the ship. The three boys all jumped out and landed safely on the ground.

"Well, here goes nothing." Morgan muttered before leaping off the ship, her wings spread out to let her glide unhindered to the ground. The others were crouching behind a pair of beat up, scrapped cars. Morgan made to tiptoe as silently as possible up behind Blue Beetle, but she her boot got snagged in a piece of wire, and she tumbled to the ground, bumping into him instead. Robin flinched when her tumble created quite a racket.

"Sorry." She whispered sheepishly, ignoring Lagoon Boy's eye roll.

Robin nodded at Blue Beetle, and it was with a small sense of awe that Morgan watched as Blue Beetle's arm morphed into a cannon of sorts and obliterated the rusty old tool shed.

The four of them approached the remaining scraps of the small building. Lagoon Boy jumped down and kicked over an old tool-box before fixing Blue Beetle with a sarcastic look. "Good work Blue. You took out the tool shed."

Morgan rolled her eyes, totally not in the mood for Lagoon Boy's attitude. She wished Robin would tell him to shut up.

It wasn't that she disliked Lagoon Boy, she actually usually got along with him pretty well, but her nerves where on high alert and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. This was her first mission, and it did make her feel both nervous and excited. She didn't need his degrading comments to dampen the mood.

Robin put a hand to his ear. "Gamma to Cave. There's no Zeta tube here." He sounded just as disappointed as Morgan felt. She'd been _so _ready to kick some alien butt. "No Kroloteans, no hidden entrance."

A second later, Mal replied, "Watchtower sensors still read trace of Zeta radiation from the site."

"Confirmed." Robin acknowledged. He looked at his tracking device, a look of realization dawning on him. "But the radiation is coming from below the water!" he exclaimed, sounding vaguely excited. Morgan felt herself grow excited too. She might still get to kick some alien butt!

Robin looked at Lagoon Boy who was still standing below them amidst the remaining pieces of the poor, innocent tool shed. "Your turn."

Lagoon Boy nodded and, together, they walked to the edge of the junk yard, facing the water. Morgan shivered just by looking at the cold, dark mass. She suddenly hoped that there wasn't anything down there and she wouldn't have to dive in. She'd never been a good swimmer. In fact, after her wings had first started growing, she'd stopped swimming altogether – it was difficult to hide wings in a bathing suit – which meant she hadn't tried swimming for five years. She wasn't even sure if she remembered how anymore, or if her wings would weigh her down too much.

"If you find anything, contact us." Robin ordered. Lagoon Boy saluted him and back-flipped gracefully into the water.

"We need to be ready in case he finds anything." Robin immediately went on, turning to the two teenagers behind him. "Blue, your suit has its own oxygen supply, right?"

"That's right." Blue confirmed.

"Good, because I've only got two of these." Robin pulled out two small black mouth pieces. "Here, Morgan. You just place it in your mouth like this," He demonstrated, "and you can breathe underwater."

"Oh, um, okay." She hesitated, her worry over having to swim ruling out her enthusiasm at how cool this gadget was. "Listen guys, I'm not a very good swimmer.." She admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

Blue fixed her with an 'are you serious' face, and Robin stared blankly at her.

"But, you know, I'm not sure. I just haven't tried it in five years because of," she pointed a thumb back at her grey wings, pressing her lips together. "Yep.."

"Okay, uh," Robin scratched the back of his head. "Just stick close to me, I'll make sure you don't drown."

Morgan smiled at the boy, feeling her affection for him grow. "Thanks, Robin. I'm sorry I'm such a lame superhero right now. I'm working on that."

"Hey, we're all pretty new at this." Robin pointed out before he stiffened and pressed a hand to his ear. "That's the signal. We're good to go."

Blue Beetle jumped into the water untroubled, but Morgan found herself hesitating. Robin took hold of her arm. "It's gonna be fine." He promised, and Morgan nodded doubtfully at him, mask covered eyes finding his.

Together, they jumped.

The water was even colder than Morgan had imagined it, and she let out a gasp of surprise at the temperature, taking in a mouthful of water. Forcing herself to stay calm, she spat the dark water out and took a deep breath through the oxygen mask Robin had handed her.

He was still grasping her forearm, and met her eyes briefly before pointing after the others. Morgan nodded at him and they started swimming after them. It was easier than she had imagined. In her early years, she'd been swimming a lot, especially with her dad, so she supposed her body remembered what it should do.

Directly in front of them, in a small tunnel-like cave shielded from view by a wall of seaweed, there was a small circular metal door. As they approached t, Morgan noticed how it kept opening and closing at a rapid speed, almost like a heartbeat.

They halted when they were halfway there. Morgan's wild hair floated around everywhere, covering her vision, and she batted it away from her eyes just as Robin motioned for Lagoon Boy to force the small door open.

She'd only seen him do it once before, so Morgan watched with fascination as Lagoon Boy sudden grew to double size, looking more like an overgrown toad on steroids than the slim boy he usually was. He swam up to the metal doorway and, using brute strength, forced it open fully, allowing for everyone to pass through unhindered.

On the other side, the tunnel no longer looked like it had been made by nature, but rather the walls were covered in smooth steel, blue lights illuminating the sides.

At the end of the tunnel and above them, Morgan saw a greater light source, and she rejoiced at the prospect of getting out of the frigid water. Her muscles were staring to clench uncomfortably with the cold.

Feeling more confident, she motioned for Robin that she was fine, and he let her go as they swam for the opening.

A moment later the four of them resurfaced inside a huge room, illuminated with a green light source. Next to her, Robin's eyes grew huge and he spat out his oxygen device. Morgan handed hers back and turned her head to see what had him looking so startled.

Morgan's own mouth popped open at the sight of the huge, underground facility. It was swimming with aliens and bustling with activity. Up ahead of them, there was a tower-like formation with a platform near the top. Giant screens circled the platform where everyone could see them.

"Oh my god." Morgan breathed. "Nightwing is going to kill me." She added, remembering how he'd only let her go because he thought it would be a soft gig.

"Yeah, right after he strangles me." Robin agreed. "Come on."

They swam to the surface, the four of them hiding behind a small outcrop near the water. Morgan pressed herself to the concrete wall next to Blue Beetle, inwardly cursing. She was way out of her league right now. Her wet curls stuck to her face and neck and weighed her down, creating a small pool of water underneath her.

"Gamma to Cave." Robin whispered. "We hit the motherload."

He looked around as he started to describe what they were seeing. "It's a huge base underground. Lots of alien tech, and multiple Zeta, ah, platforms. There are more Kroloteans than I can count."

A second later, Mal replied. "Acknowledged." He said. "I've sent for backup." His voice turned authoritative. "Until then, you have to _lay low_."

"Uh," Blue Beetle interrupted. "That might be a '_problema'_, _ese_." He pointed up at a screen, placed in the heart of the base. Morgan leaned in over him to see it better, and spotted a broadcasting of _them_, along with a whirring siren that grated at her ears. The aliens had spotted them and were letting the entire facility know it.

Blue turned to Lagoon Boy. "You're right, this was totally a soft gig." He dryly commented, almost sounding like this was Lagoon Boy's fault.

Morgan clenched her teeth and hissed out a curse. "Nightwing's _really_ gonna kill me."

"Not if they get to us first!" Blue exclaimed helpfully.

An entire squad of the little green aliens crawled down from the upper platform. Morgan felt her heart clench in fear but squashed it down.

Robin suddenly leapt up and started shouting orders. "Form up!" He said with authority. "Blue, remember maneuver six!"

To be honest, Morgan had no idea what that last part meant, but apparently Blue did, because he quickly confirmed. "_Si_, _hermano_!"

Morgan jumped up next to them, feeling her fear give way to determination. Lagoon Boy shouted a word of encouragement, and then they charged the aliens. Morgan quickly found that she was better served with staying at a distance, where she could use her telekinesis to throw the aliens around like ragdolls. The Kroloteans were obviously not meant for fighting, as their attacks were pretty weak, and Morgan, despite being quite new at this, didn't have a lot of trouble with dealing with them. Truly, the only thing they had going for them was the sheer size of their numbers. They just kept coming!

She did her best with her telekinesis, but the aliens were unknown organisms, and her power wasn't as effective on them as it was humans.

"Of course _I_ get a _selective_ ability." She groaned to herself. A thought entered her head. When they had made her suit, Nightwing had asked her if the gloves would hinder her abilities, and at the time she'd said she didn't know. Maybe that was what was wrong?

Using one hand to knock an alien into the wall behind it, she used her teeth to shrug off the glove on her other hand. She shifted hands and could immediately feel a difference. "Aw yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" she smirked, dropping her gloves on the ground. Her telekinesis worked much better now. It was like she got a quicker grasp on the Kroloteans biology, letting her throw them around as she pleased.

Once she'd incapacitated the half a dozen Kroloteans that had charged her, she ran further ahead, watching the others. Robin was a force to be reckoned with as he pulled one gadget after another from his person and used them cleverly against the small aliens. Lagoon Boy relied on his strength as he swelled in size again and pummeled any krolotean that was dumb enough to approach. Morgan skidded to a halt, realizing that the initial danger was gone when Blue Beetle used the same cannon he'd used earlier – was it a sound wave cannon? Morgan wasn't entirely sure but she wanted to know – and sent the rest of the Kroloteans running.

"Wow, they really do _not_ like you!" Lagoon Boy laughed as he watched the small Krolotean army run for a Zeta platform and disappear. "I'm almost jealous!"

"You said _what!?"_ Blue Beetle suddenly exclaimed. Morgan narrowed her eyes at the floating boy, wondering what he was talking about now.

A Krolotean jumped her from behind suddenly, and she let out a small squeak in surprise before pulling it off and kicking it in the face. A new wave of the small annoying creatures seemed to have snuck up on them.

"I said I was jealous, no need to rub it in!" Lagoon Boy repeated, throwing a Krolotean away from him.

"Not you, _hermano_," Blue Beetle responded, "Him!" He pointed and Morgan followed his finger with her eyes, spotting a Krolotean that was standing in front of a command screen up on the platform.

"Wait, you can understand them?" Robin exclaimed, jabbing his metal staff into the face of an oncoming Krolotean. "How?!"

"I'm not sure, exactly." Blue pondered, sounding uncertain. "But that _hefe_ over there is ordering all Kroloteans to Zeta off-world."

Blue Beetle paused and let out a small gasp of horror, which, Morgan assumed, really couldn't be good.

"He's set the base to self-destruct in four minutes!"

"Åh nej." Morgan whispered, swallowing nervously to herself. "Åh nej, åh nej, åh nej.."1 There just had to be a bomb, right?

She shuffled closer to the water, meeting the others there.

"We're getting out, then." Robin ordered. "Do you know anything else of importance?"

Blue Beetle landed next to him right as Morgan arrived herself, kicking a Krolotean away from her and into the water.

"He said something about leaving behind the playthings?" Blue Beetle informed him.

Morgan felt her blood run cold, guessing right before Robin what exactly that meant.

"Playthings.. Oh, man!" Robin looked at the others, slight panic on his face and in his voice. "The abductees!"

"Three minutes and thirty seconds, _ese_!" Blue Beetle immediately said, unnecessarily reminding everybody that they were on a very tight timeframe. "Then 'BOOM'!" He threw his hands in the air, mimicking an explosion.

"Yes, thank you for reminding us," Morgan bit tersely. She felt fear flutter in her heart again, and she took in a deep gulp of air to squash it back down.

"And Nightwing said 'no necessary risks to the squad'.." Robin groaned, hard determination on his face. Morgan already knew what he was thinking before he said it. "But this _is_ necessary!" He decided, his jaw tense and brow furrowed. "We have to get below!" He shouted out, looking around for a way down.

Lagoon Boy thankfully had the answer. "There!" He pointed. They all looked to the wall across the large underground pool of water, spotting a row of round tubes that presumably led underneath the facility. Kroloteans were leaking from the tubes, running in a mad dash to get away from the doomed cave.

"Blue Beetle!" Robin said. "Go!"

"Right, going," Blue Beetle flew off, the armor on his arms morphing into something large and flat, allowing him to mow down any Krolotean that got in his way. Morgan, Lagoon Boy and Robin followed in his wake, slipping down the tube right after him.

They found themselves in a new section of the underground lair. It seemed less professionally done, with crudely done walls and hard concrete floors.

Blue Beetle apprehended one of the Kroloteans he had knocked down the tube before. The ugly creature squirmed in his grasp and screeched in its own language.

"Is someone there? Hello?" Came a scared male voice. Morgan looked up and spotted a cage at the very end of the room. With a start, she saw that it was full of people. People whose fate the barbaric Kroloteans hadn't cared about at all.

Robin ran over to it and the people inside rejoiced when the recognized him as one of the good guys. Despite their dire situation, Morgan felt a small smile tug at her lips at the complete and utter trust the hostages seemed to have in them, just because they were heroes.

As she, Blue Beetle and Lagoon Boy approached, the hostages gasped and cowered in fear at the sight of the green Atlantean and the blue-armored boy.

"More aliens!" One of the shrieked and they all backed away.

"Hey!" Blue Beetle stopped in protest. "We're not aliens!" He denied, sounding affronted. "Okay, well, he is." He pointed to the alien in his grasp, which hissed at him in that hideous language it spoke. The sounded grated on Morgan's ears. "But we are _not!_"

"Open this cage!" Robin ordered Lagoon Boy.

As he grew in size – a trick that never ceased to impress Morgan – the people in the cage started screaming all the more, apparently not believing Blue Beetle's denial. Lagoon Boy paid their fright no mind as he proceeded to rip the door of the cage open, freeing the abductees.

There was silence for a moment as the hostages seemed to come realize that Lagoon Boy wasn't one of the bad aliens, but one of the good guys. They started running out of the cage, eyes wide with fright and relief.

"Tha- thank you." A man in a grey suit gasped, still eying Lagoon Boy with fear. "We didn't mean-"

"It's fine," Lagoon Boy interrupted, uncharacteristically taking their accusations lightheartedly. Morgan figured he didn't want to frighten them more than they already were. "I get that a lot, _chum._"

"Okay guys, let's get out." Morgan spoke up tensely, all too aware of how little time they had left.

Robin turned to Blue Beetle who was still holding a Krolotean in his grasp. "Ask him the fastest way out."

"Dude, I can't speak-" Blue Beetle paused for a moment before seemingly speaking to himself, again. "You can? Then what are you waiting for?!"

Morgan raised an eyebrow slowly at the crazy display, wholeheartedly agreeing with Lagoon Boy when he wondered, "Blue's an.. odd little fish, isn't he?"

Morgan nodded slowly, her eyes focused on the boy in question as he suddenly started speaking in that hideous alien language. The alien responded to whatever he said and he turned to Robin, still a constant stream of throaty noises leaving his mouth. He stopped and shook his head. "I mean, this way!" He pointed to their right and started running. "Come on!"

The other followed after him, and Morgan waited until everyone was in front of her before she joined them. She figured someone needed to guard the back and make sure they didn't lose anyone. "Kom så videre folkens!"2 She ordered loudly, wondering a second later why on earth she was speaking Danish to a bunch of people that couldn't understand the language. Maybe it was the stress. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest, making her feel slightly ill.

Blue led them out of the main room and down a small tunnel that lead them into the water. The tunnel was so slim they had to run in single file, Morgan going last. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she mentally counted down until the underground facility self-destructed.

They were underwater when the explosion went off, and the force of it was enough to push Morgan the rest of the way out of the small, under-water tunnel. She gasped in surprise, letting all the air out of her mouth and replacing it with water. She panicked for a moment because she didn't know which way was up anymore, but the light of the fire above her made it easy to figure out. She swam towards the surface, gasping in deep gulps of air when she reached it. The junk yard had been blown up, and the parts that still remained were on fire, casting the black night sky in an orange hue, thick black smoke rising high into the air.

Doing a quick head count, Morgan found that none of the hostages were missing. She couldn't find Lagoon boy, however.

She swam towards Robin to ask him where La'gaan was when Robin asked the exact same question out loud. "Where is La'gaan?"

Morgan had almost reached Robin when suddenly the Atlantean broke the surface right between them, splashing water into their faces. "Wohooo! That's right!" He cheered. "Gamma squad _rules_!"

His enthusiasm was infectious and Morgan found herself smiling and cheering along herself. "Woohoo!" She shouted, high fiving the green-skinned boy, cold water momentarily forgotten. "That. Was. AWESOME! I mean, I totally forgot my gloves in there and they're probably blown to smithereens by now, and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a second, but that was _still _AWESOME!"

Robin breathed out a sigh of relief when he knew that everyone on his team was safe and well.

"Uh, guys?" Blue Beetle suddenly cut in, and Morgan noticed with a slight snicker that he was still clutching the Krolotean to him.

The other looked at him and the followed his gaze up into the night sky. Morgan's heart skipped a surprised beat when she saw the squad of Superheroes approaching from above. Mal _had_ mentioned something about sending back-up, but she'd forgotten all about that in the heat of the fight. She knew she was in trouble, she'd just hoped to avoid that trouble at least until she was back at the Cave.

"This is the part where Nightwing kills us, right?" Morgan whispered, leaning into Robin. He nodded wordlessly, swallowing dryly.

Nerves pulled at her when she saw the sheer number of superheroes. Practically the entire League, and some from the Team had arrived. She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush as she imagined her drenched appearance. There were many of them that she hadn't met yet, and this was not the circumstances she'd wanted to meet them in for the first time. Not the first-hand impression she'd hoped to make.

Her eyes fond her mentor and she tried to read him. Nightwing fixed them with a blank stare before he smiled slightly. "Dude," he said and leaned casually over the controls of Sphere. "Way to get your feet wet!" Robin relaxed next to her, obviously not getting the scolding he'd been expecting, but when Nightwing's gaze found her, Morgan didn't miss the way his jaw and shoulders tensed, and she knew she was not in the clear. He was _not_ happy with her.

Morgan had already started planning out her defense in her head, which mainly went along the lines of 'you were the one that let me go, how was I supposed to know this place would be filled with aliens'.

Either way, she was already cringing with the bruises she knew she'd be getting during their next training session. Whenever Nightwing was displeased with her, he'd go harder on her during fighting. She didn't think he even noticed this himself, it was more of a natural reaction that he wasn't in control of.

She still rued the bruises, though.

But it was so, so worth it. Tonight had been the best adrenalin rush she'd ever experienced in her life, and she knew she'd have to nag him about going on missions more often.

More importantly, the fact that she'd helped save other people's lives made her cheeks hurt as she smiled impossibly wide and made her heart pump furiously with pride in her chest. This superhero business was getting more and more attractive by the minute

* * *

><p>1. "Oh no" (repeated a couple of times)<p>

2. "Get a move on folks!"

Sorry this is late you guys! I've been away all week on this conference thingy and only got back late last night. I hope this action-packed chapter make up for it!

Also, to the review saying they unfortunately feel like they can't ship Morgan and Nightwing because they seem to have more like a brother-sister relationship, I'm sorry you feel that way! I hope I'll be able to change your mind as the story develops, but if not, I hope you'll still read it and enjoy it nonetheless, and I thank you so much for your wonderful review.

And to the other review wishing for more romance, don't worry! There will be romance at some point, but this is a long story with a lot of details and a lot of drama. The romance is some ways off, but I promise it'll be worth the wait.

Fun fact: I literally dreamt about this story a few nights ago. In the dream, Morgan had feelings for Nightwing, but he was in a realitionship-thing-y with this other girl, leaving Morgan pretty sad. It became apparent throughout the dream that Nightwing would, eventually, see the light and return those feelings, but I didn't get to that part before my alarm woke me up. Stupid alarm.


	12. First Day

Chapter Twelve

First Day

Nightwing cursed himself silently and paced back and forth, vowing to never make such a stupid decision again. The moment Mal reported on Gamma squads unexpected find, Nightwing had felt his blood run cold in his veins.

He'd sent a rookie – a novice that was his responsibility – on a life-threatening mission.

Granted, he hadn't known it was life threatening at the time, but he should've known something like this would happen. As Robin had pointed out not too many days ago, they missions all had a habit of blowing up in their faces. Quite literally.

And Nightwing really, _really_ should have known this. He really should've guessed that this would happen. He'd been on his team for almost _six years_. He knew their missions always went wrong. He _knew_ Morgan was far from ready to go out in the field.

This was the last time he let her and Tim talk him into something like that. No matter how much she aimed those huge, pretty – wait, what? – grey eyes at him, he would _not_ let her manipulate him into letting her go again.

"If you're going to lecture me can you please just do it instead of pacing back and forth like that?" Morgan dryly spoke up. "Thanks to Batman, I have school in the morning, and I'd like to get just a bit of sleep first.". She was leaning against the wall with a sullen look on her face.

Nightwing halted in his pacing, realizing that he'd been doing it for several minutes in silence. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to her.

"No more missions." He said sternly. He could tell by the frown on her face that she was about to protest but he held up a hand, silencing her.

Clasping the hand behind his back again, he continued. "As of today, we will resume your training as it was before and you will not go on any missions until I give the go."

"Oh, _come_ _on_!" Morgan groaned. "Nothing happened! I'm perfectly alright! I did _good_ out there, ask Robin!"

"Until. I. give. The. Go." Nightwing repeated firmly.

"What is _wrong_ with you!" Morgan complained aggressively, pushing of the wall and approaching him. "I'm totally fine, and you are begin a paranoid, uptight dick! Why do you even care?"

Nightwing kept his tense stance even thought he shuddered with annoyance at her behavior and insult. "You are _my _responsibility and therefore I make the calls."

Morgan sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair, her wings bristling with annoyance. Nightwing briefly wondered if she knew how expressive they were before he snapped himself back into focus.

"Until I give the go." He repeated one last time before turning on his heel and marching away from her.

He heard her growl out in annoyance and then the loud, metallic clang of steel being dented by an outside force.

He'd angered her, but he didn't care. Her anger was much easier to deal with than the guilt, should she get hurt.

* * *

><p>January 5th<p>

Morgan's eyes flew open when her alarm beeped to life, and more on instinct than anything else, she threw her arm out towards it, sending the poor machine flying halfway across her room and shattering against her wall.

She groaned loudly and curled in on herself, retreating deeper under her covers.

Her body was aching all over from the mission she'd been on the night before, her mind was sluggish and her head pounding from lack of sleep. Maybe that mission hadn't been such a good idea.

A minute later, she forced her eyes open and uncurled her body, sitting up in bed. She grimaced at the sad leftover of her alarm clock, now nothing but a small pile of mechanics.

Yawning loudly, she stretched her arms and wings, hearing a satisfying 'pop' in her back. Smacking her lips twice, she scratched her head and wondered why she'd set her alarm to ring so early.

And then it hit her. She'd set her alarm this early because she had to get up earlier to train because..

She had school today. Her first day at Gotham University.

Her first day of mingling with the rich snobs.

Morgan let out a hugely exaggerated groan and flopped back down on her bed, her hands coming up to cover her face.

Why her?

She shook herself, reminder her that she had actually been pretty excited about this. This was a chance to get out of the Cave more often and get some new friends. A chance for her to stop feeling to dependent on the other heroes, a chance for her to stop feeling clingy.

And maybe, if she got more friends, she'd also stop feeling so uncomfortable with being surrounded by so many people. She'd been friendless for five years, and a month and a half of friendship with other people was not going to completely change that. It was going to take some time to get used to. Morgan knew this. And she was prepared to work for it. She _wanted_ a normal – well, semi-normal, she wasn't stupid enough to think he life could ever be completely normal – life, without a shit load of emotional luggage to constantly drag her down.

With that thought in mind, she got up and pulled her gym clothes on. Her hair was a huge mess. Her mother always said that Morgan was the most extremely bed-head challenged person she'd ever met.

Her mother..

_No, not going there_. She told herself, biting her lip, _not thinking about it_.

She knew Nightwing wouldn't be there. He never was during her morning training anymore. He showed up in the late afternoon or sometimes early evening, and then they sparred together there. He knew that, by now, she could do her exercise routine without his supervision.

Which was why she was pretty surprised when he _was_, in fact, there waiting for her. She walked around the corner and almost bumped into him from his leaning position against the gym's door.

"Uh," She uttered, giving him a strange look. "Good morning?"

Nightwing nodded at her. "You'll need to cut your training short today so we can go over the details of your transfer to Gotham University." He said by way of greeting.

Morgan shrugged, surprisingly disappointed at having to cut her training short. She'd grown fond of the hour of alone-time it gave her. It was a good way to start her day. She'd even set her alarm to earlier so she'd have time for crying out loud! "Okay then."

He allowed her to train for half an hour, him annoyingly watching the whole time, and then he pulled her away from her machines to explain everything.

"You'll get there by the Zeta tube, obviously. There is a tube a few blocks from the school." He handed her a map that showed the way from the Zeta tube to the university, along with the command she needed to punch into the machine to get to that specific location and Morgan wondered if he'd always been such an overly considerate control freak. She didn't voice this out loud though, as they were both being strangely civil – especially considering what happened the night before – and she didn't feel like ruining it. She was too tired to ruin it.

"Your school uniform is here," He handed her a paper bag, "and here is a backpack with all the essentials, also donated by the Wayne foundation."

"Whoop, those rich people really like to remind the rest of us how rich they are." Morgan quipped sarcastically, sighing in a 'what can you do' manner. Nightwing paused and glared at her for a second before he resumed as if he totally hadn't just given her the stink eye.

_What was that?_ Morgan wondered.

"You'll be expected to arrive at the school at ten sharp. Wait in the front hall for further instructions."

Morgan wondered how he knew so much about this school but figured it was that control freak thing again.

"Righty-o." She complied. "Wait, if I'm not meeting before ten, why did I have to cut training short?" she accused, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Because I have to get to school now and I needed to explain this to you first."

"Ah."

"And now I'm going. You can go back to training now. Just don't be late."

* * *

><p>Morgan arrived exactly one minute late, simply because Nightwing had stressed the importance of not being late.<p>

She fought to keep her mouth closed as she stepped over the door step and into the giant front hall of the university. The building in itself was huge and impressive on the outside, but inside it was even more so. Elegantly tiled floors, huge arched windows, a dome-shaped roof and marble staircases that were carpeted in red, with giant columns that looked like they were also made of marble lining them.

Morgan eyed the other students, though there weren't many of them right now, noting that even though they wore the same black and white uniform as her, it was pretty obvious that they came from another class entirely. Morgan had never seen a collection of that many tall, slim, perfect haired and obviously privileged people in one place before.

Between them, her short height and huge untamed hair stuck out like a sore thumb.

Thankfully, no one seemed to take notice of her and she was spared from receiving any scornful glances.

She sarcastically breathed deeply in through the nose. "Smell that, Morgan?" She mumbled to herself, "That is the smell of snobs and self absorbed douche-bags. Yippee."

"Hi!" Came a cheery voice behind her and Morgan jumped in surprise before turning around to face the owner of the voice. She was met with the sight of a girl with pin-straight, ridiculously long golden blonde hair, huge sparkly baby-blue eyes, and a set of perfectly straight, white teeth in a widely smiling mouth.

"Uhm, hi." Morgan responded, a hand automatically reaching up and wrapping a finger around a curl.

The girl smiled even wider. Morgan wondered how smiling so widely didn't physically hurt her. She also noted that this girl was, mercifully, roughly Morgan's own height instead of being a five foot ten inches freak like the rest of them.

"You must be Morgan!" She enthusiastically went on. "I'll be showing you around Gotham University."

Morgan secretly thought that she sounded like one of those ladies from the infomercials.

And then she inwardly slapped herself, ordering her to be nice. _I told myself this morning that I'd try to make friends, so how about stop being an asshole and start being civil to this girl who appears to be the most friendly person in the world?" _

"Cool. I'd get pretty lost by myself, I think." Morgan answered, trying for a small smile.

The girl stuck her hand out. "I'm Esmeralda." She introduced herself. "Yeah, my mom is a Hunchback of Notre Dame enthusiast." She grimaced slightly.

Morgan nodded awkwardly, not sure how she should respond to that.

"Oh!" Esmeralda exclaimed and opened the book she was clutching in her arm, pulling out a piece of paper. "Here's your schedule."

Morgan took the offered piece of paper and looked it over briefly. She had a lot of biology. Awesome, that was her best subject.

"So, let's start on the tour, yeah?"

Esmeralda led the way up a tall staircase just as a strange, deep horn-like sound rang through the halls. It was not unpleasant to listen to, it was just unexpected.

Morgan jumped again at the sound and had to admit that she was more on edge than usual. "What the hell was that?" She asked more aggressively than she had meant to.

Esmeralda let out a tinkling laugh. "Oh, that's just the bell. We don't have those screeching bells like they do in high school and the public college. This is a much more pleasant sound, don't you think?" She asked as they reached the top of the staircase and Esmeralda led her down the hall they were in now. Much like downstairs, the place was elegant with big windows, creating a open and light atmosphere.

Morgan nodded wordlessly, hefting the strap of her new leather shoulder-bag further up her shoulder with a shrug, wondering how a place could possibly be as obsessed with creating distance from the lower class as this university appeared to be.

They'd reached the middle of the hall when people started flooding out of the class rooms. Morgan should've known that that weird horn would've sparked some kind of reaction. Just as she'd expected, the rest of them were also model-types and she started tugging at a curl again. _Whatever. I like my hair._

Esmeralda started explaining how the school's floors were divided after year, and they were currently on the seniors' floor. "The seniors have the first floor, then the juniors have the second, the sophomores the third and the fourth floor is for us freshmen."

"So basically, the longer you stay, the lesser stairs you will have to walk?"

Esmeralda laughed. "Yeah, something like that." They reached the end of the hall and Morgan looked to her left, finding a hall identical to this one, also flooding with people. At the end of that hall, she could see that it curved both left and right. She got the feeling that it would take some time to be able to find her way around this place.

"Can I get like a map of this place so I won't get lost tomorrow?" She questioned as they started climbing another set of stairs.

"Sure, but it won't be necessary." Esmeralda replied with a smile on her lips. "I'm to show you around for the rest of the week, so you'll know this place like the back of your own hand by Friday!"

"Oh." Morgan said, making an impressed sound in the back of her throat. "Awesome."

"This is the juniors' floor." Esmeralda announced, spreading her arms out wide. While the first floor had been decorated with a red carpet and red flowers in potted plants by all the windows, the juniors' floor was decorated with green carpets and green plants.

"Is this like a color theme thing the school's got going on?" Morgan asked before she could stop herself. She also noticed that all the juniors had green ties while the seniors had had red ties. Morgan looked down at her own yellow tie, fidgeting slightly.

"Yup. Apparently it's important to be able to distinguish the years from each other." Esmeralda shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure."

Fortunately, the stairs to the third floor weren't on the other side of a long hall, but right next to the stairs they'd just used.

"So let me guess.." Morgan said sarcastically. "The Sophomores have blue ties?"

Esmeralda giggled and nodded. "Personally, I think the principal is just a Harry Potter enthusiast and likes to pretend the school is Hogwarts."

"You've watched Harry Potter?" Morgan asked, slightly surprised. She hadn't pegged Esmeralda down as a fantasy enthusiast.

"Yeah," Esmeralda answered. "I liked the books better than the movies, though." She admitted. Morgan's eyebrows rose higher on her forehead. She had pegged Esmeralda even less down as the reading-anything-other-than-a-magazine type.

Maybe she ought to stop being so prejudiced.

Halfway up the stairs, they ran into another freshman student.

"Hey Esmi." She greeted and Esmeralda smiled widely.

"Rachel!" She responded enthusiastically. "This is Morgan!"

Morgan looked at the new girl, taking in her black dreadlocks and coffee colored skin. She stuck a hand out. "Hi, I'm Morgan, as previously stated."

The new girl raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly and taking the offered hand. "And I'm Rachel, also as previously stated. Cool necklace."

Morgan's fingers closed around the orange stone of her glamour charm. "Thanks. It was a gift." She answered truthfully.

The three girls climbed the rest of the stairs together. "So," Rachel began slyly as they reached the top of the stairs. "See any cute guys you like yet?"

"Uhm.." Morgan uttered, sort of thrown by the question. Sure, most guys she'd seen so far had been good looking, but she hadn't exactly seen anyone she 'liked'.

She opened her mouth to answer the question properly, but never got the chance.

Because in that moment, a _very_ familiar voice caught her attention. She stiffened and turned, searching her surroundings with her eyes.

She found him and saw red, her jaw dropping in horrified anger. He was standing with a group of four other guys, laughing carelessly at a joke a blonde haired boy had just cracked, not knowing how much trouble he was about to get in. What the _heck _was he doing here?!

Without a word, she marched away from the two very confused girls. "Hey!" she all but shouted. "Dickface!"

She was his shoulders tense but he didn't turn around. _The scum probably hopes I'm not talking to him_.

She reached him and, ignoring the strange looks his friends were giving her, she grabbed his upper arm – yep, definitely him, she could recognize his muscles.. That sounded so weird – and forcefully turned him around.

She was about to start shouting at him but was taken aback for a moment when she saw Nightwing's face unmasked for the first time.

His eyes.

They weren't at all what she'd imagined. She'd imagined narrowed, hard, brown steel.

What she got was a big pair of deep, oceanic eyes outlined by thick, black lashes and perfectly arched eyebrows. His eyes were, ironically, the same blue of color as the tie that rested loosely around his neck, which was, even more ironically, the same color as his Nightwing symbol, which just made them pop out all the more.

_Oh crap, he's gorgeous. _

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Suddenly not feeling like shouting anymore, she lowered her voice. "You can tell your.. _boss_ that I don't _need_ to be babysat. Or spied on." She hissed at him.

He frowned at her in an almost convincing show of confusion. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about Miss, but I think you've got the wrong guy."

"Oh, really?" Morgan asked skeptically, taking a step back and, in a flash, she spread her wings wide. His eyes followed the movement, revealing his lie. Nobody but her team members could see her wings when she was wearing her necklace and he had just involuntarily identified himself. She raised a slow eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He grimaced when he realized his mistake.

"Dick?" Asked one of his buddies, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nightwing said, waving him away. "listen, I'll meet you guys later, okay?" He requested and the others nodded before leaving.

"Wait," Morgan raised both her eyebrows and leaned around Nightwing to look at the four guys' retreating backs. "Your friends call you a dick too?" she asked. "Wow. You really must be a horrible person."

"What? No! That's not-" He sighed harshly and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Forget that." He looked back at her and Morgan had to mentally slap herself to keep her focus on her anger. She understood now why he always wore that mask. Nobody would be able to take him serious if they saw those ridiculously pretty eyes. She's seldom seen someone with eyes as expressive as that, and it went strictly against the 'silent, brooding and unemotional' thing he had going on as Nightwing.

Heck, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to take him seriously again.

"Look." He went on. "I promise to explain everything later. All you need to know right now is that Batman did _not_ send me here to babysit you or spy on you. I.." he took a deep breath and fixed her with a stare. "I go here."

Morgan felt her mouth open slightly at that admission. His offer was fair enough and she honestly didn't feel like making more of a scene than she already had. "Fine." She grumbled. She pointed a stern finger in his face. "But you _will _explain yourself later." She threatened and marched off, her cheeks flushed with anger – and perhaps something else.

She met back up with Esmeralda and Rachel, who was standing with their mouths open in shock.

"What. Was. That?" Rachel asked, the first to recover. Morgan knew they'd been too far away to hear anything, but they'd still seen the whole thing.

Morgan shrugged casually. "Nothing. He just looked like he needed a dressing down. Shall we continue the tour?"

They briefly looked at her like they thought she was an absolute lunatic and then Esmeralda grabbed her arm and shook it slightly, her eyes wide and fixed on Nightwing. Or whatever his real name was. "Do you know who that was?" She hissed.

"Nope." Morgan simply said, figuring it was only a part lie since she didn't know who he _really _was.

"That was Dick Grayson!" She added more urgently, tugging more earnestly at Morgan's sleeve.

Morgan spluttered out a surprised laugh. "His _actual_ name is _Dick_?" she asked incredulously. _That explains SO many things.._

"Well, technically, his actual name is Richard, but nobody ever calls him that." Rachel put in. "And Dick suits him much better."

"Why?" Morgan snorted. "Because he's a total dick?"

"No because rumor has it he's got a huge-"

"WOAH!" Morgan interrupted, clasping her hands over her ears. "Can you not go there?"

"Anyway, he's like, one of the best looking single guys at school. Plus, his adoptive father is, like, crazy rich." Esmeralda explained.

Wait, adoptive father?

Nightwing was an orphan?

"Adoptive father?" Morgan questioned.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, Bruce Wayne."

Well, that explained the Wayne Foundation Scholarship.

"His real parents died in an accident when he was nine." Esmeralda provided eagerly. Morgan got the feeling Esmeralda was very into school gossip. "They used to work at a circus as acrobats."

Morgan stilled for a moment, processing this new information. It certainly explained his extreme talent for acrobatics during their training.

She felt a strange rush of sympathy for him, and felt like she suddenly understood her mentor a lot better than ever before. Her anger died down and she suddenly only felt embarrassed for creating a scene.

By now, Nightwing – or Dick_,_ apparently – started walking down the hall, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"That's so sad.." Morgan mumbled, mainly to herself, watching him walk away.

"Yeah.." Esmeralda said, sounding almost sad for a moment. Her cheerful attitude returned a moment later. "Of course, a tragic back story just adds to his irresistibleness.."

"Mhmm." Rachel hummed as she trailed him with her eyes. "Look at that boy. If I got the chance, I'd climb him like a tree."

Morgan's lip curled in slight disgust when Esmeralda also turned and sighed wistfully after his retreating back.

"Oh don't look so scandalized." Rachel defended, hitting Morgan's arm lightly. "Like you don't find him attractive."

"No," Morgan answered _almost_ truthfully. "I really don't. Looks aren't everything." She added.

"You're right, of course." Esmeralda said seriously, tightening her grip on her books as she started walking down the hall again. "It's a good thing that he's also such a nice guy, then." She added cheerfully. "Now let's continue the tour!"

"Åh min gud hjælp mig."1 Morgan mumbled to herself, rubbing her forehead tiredly. She'd been going to this school for half an hour and she was already tired of it.

* * *

><p>"'<em>She won't recognize you<em>' he said_," _Nightwing grumbled to himself, pacing back and forth in front of Morgan's room as he waited for her to come back from school. "'_Everything will be fine' _he said. Well guess what, Batman? _She_ _noticed_!"

"Who are you talking to?"

Nightwing jumped as the sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to find Barbara looking at him oddly, dressed in her Batgirl outfit as usual. He sighed and briefly scowled at her for sneaking up on him.

"Nobody." Nightwing grunted shortly.

Barbara looked at him and then Morgan's door, correctly guessing that this had something to do with her. "Are you guys fighting again?" She asked disapprovingly.

"No!" Nightwing quickly denied. "I'm not mad at Morgan. She might be mad at me though. But that's not the point."

Barbara cocked an eyebrow that invited him to explain.

"Batman thought it would be a good idea to enroll her in Gotham University and today was her first day." Nightwing elaborated. "And she.. well, she recognized me there." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, settling a hand on his hip. Barbara widened her eyes at him, knowing what this meant. "Batman ensured me she wouldn't recognize me, but of course she did. She likes to make my life difficult like that."

"Does Batman know?" Barbara asked. Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin all knew the number one rule: Don't let anyone know your secret identity.

Nightwing shook his head. "I haven't told him yet."

"So what are you going to do?"

Nightwing shrugged. "What can I do, honestly? I'm going to talk to her, obviously. Since Batman is no longer my mentor, I'm going to make my own call. This is all his fault anyway."

"Well," Barbara began, her eyes fixed on something behind him. "I wish you luck, and since Morgan is here, I'm going to leave you two to talk things out."

Nightwing tensed and turned around, spotting the blonde standing at the end of the hall, still in her school uniform. She shuffled around a bit, rubbing her shiny, black shoe against her calf, her hand clasped around the leather strap of her school bag. Nightwing told himself to snap out of it. That was twice someone had managed to sneak up on him in the past five minutes. Was he losing his touch?

He felt Barbara place a comforting hand on his shoulder briefly before she walked away.

Morgan hiked her bag further up her shoulder and opened her door, inviting him inside wordlessly.

Nightwing, intensely uncomfortable with this whole scenario, followed her inside, shutting her door quietly after them.

He stood by the door, watching quietly as she shuffled around her room, putting her school bag down next to her desk.

He hadn't been in her room since that one time they'd fought and he'd followed her in here and she'd admitted that the reason she didn't want to leave the cave was because her wings had gotten too big to hide.

She'd decorated the room since then. There was a desk in one corner, a book shelf above it. It was mostly empty, but as he watched, she started pulling school books out of her bag and placing them on it.

Her bed had been moved into the other corner, the comforter no longer the standard white, but a flower pattern, with a small mountain of big, fluffy pillows scattered about. There was a nightstand next to it, a vase with fake roses on it.

The rooms in the Cave didn't have any windows, but Morgan had compensated for this with big posters of various landscapes.

The entire room was much more feminine than he'd honestly expected Morgan's room to be.

Morgan shrugged out of her black uniform jacket and hung it in her closet, and still Nightwing hadn't said a word.

She loosened her tie, sighing with relief, and pulled it over her head, before dropping it on her bed and faced him.

It was obvious that now he was supposed to talk.

So now he'd open his mouth and just..talk.

After all, it wasn't that hard was it?"

He cleared his throat and Morgan rolled her eyes, deciding to put him out of his misery, apparently. "You don't need to explain anything, actually. Your 'fan group' has informed me of everything I need to know."

Nightwing frowned. "Fan group?"

"What, you didn't know?" Morgan looked genuinely surprised. "Apparently you are not only the best looking guy in school but also the richest, or something like that."

Nightwing felt an eyebrow rise. Even if the girls at school did say things like that – and he already knew they did – he hadn't expected Morgan to admit it to his face. It was, after all, almost an indirect compliment.

"Personally, I think you're overrated." She smirked, and Nightwing could recognize her again. He almost smirked back, but stopped himself.

"So you don't need me to explain anything?" He asked doubtfully.

Morgan shrugged. "You can always fill in the blanks." She offered. "I know your name is Dick Grayson and your adoptive father is Bruce Wayne."

Even though she hadn't mentioned the whole 'death of his parents' thing, it was obvious she knew.

"It's more of a ward thing, really." He corrected. "And nice job maneuvering around the subject of my dead parents." He deadpanned. He knew it wasn't really fair of him to say that, but the bitter words were out before he could stop himself. He wasn't even sure why he seemed to want to bring it up so much. It was like he knew the subject would hang in the air between them forever if he didn't get it over with now.

Morgan tensed, her eyes widening involuntarily.

Nightwing didn't move a muscle as he waited for her to react.

She sighed and looked down at her hands, which were clasped together in front of her. She grabbed a fistful of her black skirt and played with the hem. Then, looking up at him, Nightwing was surprised at the soft look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry about your parents." She said in a low, soft voice.

Nightwing had imagined many responses from her, but that hadn't been one of them. He licked his lower lip absentmindedly, nodded slowly and looked at the floor, embarrassed with himself before he turned his side to her, clasping the door handle.

"Wait." Morgan stopped him before he could open the door.

He looked at her and was surprised at how uncomfortable she looked. "You're not going to get in trouble with Batman now, are you?" She asked, almost looking worried for him.

Nightwing found the energy to smirk slightly. "I'm _undoubtedly_ going to get in trouble with Batman. But _he_ enrolled you, so he's the one who's in trouble."

"I'm not.." She ran a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes when it snagged in several tangles and she had to enlist the help of her other hand to free it. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Just so you know."

Nightwing considered her for a moment before nodding. "I trust you." He admitted at length.

"You know," She started, smiling wryly. "I had thought they'd be brown. Your eyes."

His eyebrows climbed further up his forehead in surprise at her strange admittance. "Why?"

"Well, you know." She made a vague motion at his face. "With the black hair, I kind of assumed you'd be, like, part something. Like Spanish or something."

"I'm part Romanian." He blurted out. "My dad, he was Romanian." What was this, Reveal Everything About Yourself Day?

Morgan watched him silently for a moment. "I guess that's something we have in common then. The non-American dad thing."

Nightwing nodded absentmindedly. "I guess so."

Morgan puffed out a breath, her cheeks swelling comically. "_Well_, this has been sufficiently awkward. Let's not do it again."

Nightwing almost let out a laugh, but he managed to stop himself as usual. "Yep. I'll see you in training."

This time, when he grasped the handle, Morgan didn't stop him.

* * *

><p>1. "Oh my god, help me."<p>

Wait.. was that last part almost.. _bonding?_

I went back and edited the last chapter because I realized I forgot to put in translations for her danish, just in case you're wondering why I reuploaded that chapter. If I ever forget again, don't hesitate to remind me!

To the same reviewer I answered yesterday: Morgan's birthyday is on the 13th of July, so she's roughly seven months younger than Nightwing, making her eighteen years old currently. So she's not _that _much younger than him. Sorry if I forgot to specify her age!

And just to quell any speculations before they start (also because of a review on the last chapter) there won't be a love triangle in this story. Personally, I've always kinda hated love triangles. I don't know why, but they've always annoyed me. Too much unnecessary drama and someone always ends up unhappy. I think Twillight is what made me write them off entirely. I can't even touch a story if it contains a love triangle anymore.

Fun Fact: The only reason I've had Morgan call him a dick when she's annoyed with him was to pull off that 'wait, your friends call you a dick too?' joke. A lot of built up for a super lame joke, but what can you do. When the author wants something, they'll do it.


	13. An Old Man

Chapter Thirteen

An Old Man

January sixth

So apparently when Nightwing had said that she was not going on any missions any time soon, he'd been pretty serious.

Morgan downed half a water bottle, her breath still uneven from the forty-five minute run she'd been on in the gym. She sighed, satisfied with a job well done, and stretched her muscles. Once she was done, her breathing was back to normal and her skin felt less sweaty and gross.

She stepped out of the gym and saw most of the other members of the Team, along with a few Leaguers, heading down the hall and towards the garage.

"Where are you guys going?" She asked, blushing slightly when everyone turned their heads to look at her. She imagined she looked very small standing there alone in her work out clothes, compared to their entire group of tall, costume clad heroes.

Nightwing broke from the group and the others continued down the hall, disappearing around a corner. "We're going on a mission. We found the remaining Kroloteans' hide out."

"Can I go?" She asked innocently and cringed when he closed his eyes in annoyance, his shoulders tensing up.

"No."

"Aw, come on!" She groaned. "Practically everyone else is going!"

"Which is why we don't need anyone else. This mission could get dangerous-"

"Oh, because the underground lair with the _army_ of Kroloteans and a _bomb_ wasn't?"

"That was a mistake." Nightwing retaliated, infuriatingly calmly. "You should not have been allowed to go on that mission."

"Yeah, but I went, and guess what?" Morgan replied fiercely, "I got out alright! I managed to use my powers to successfully beat up a bunch of aliens and then help the others get the hostages out, and I didn't get hurt! I did well! You just won't admit that because you're so paranoid!"

"You are not going on this mission or any other mission until I say so!" Nightwing exploded. Morgan jumped a step back, taken aback by the loudness of his voice. He never yelled at her. He always spoke in that controlled Spock-like way of his, using logic rather than anger. "I am your mentor, and as such, I make the calls! And you are not ready. The fact that you keep fighting me so much over this just further proves that you are too immature and unprepared to go on any missions yet!"

Morgan didn't respond, still too taken aback to think of any clever comebacks. Nightwing was halfway making to follow the other heroes down the hall when he paused.

Her mentor, standing with his side to her, sighed and seemed to reel in his anger. He stood stiffly, his hands clenched by his sides, his jaw tense. "If you really feel so strongly about this, go visit the lowest level of the Cave. The grotto"

And then he left.

Morgan looked after him, watching as his long legs led him down the hall and around the corner in only a few strides, his back ramrod straight and his shoulder tense with anger.

She had no idea what was in the lowest level of the Cave, but the way he'd said it made her feel a chill up and down her back and she got the feeling she didn't really want to know what was down there.

Normally, she'd go and watch the other heroes take off, but she didn't this time. There were too many Leaguers there to make her feel comfortable, and she got the feeling a lot of the superheroes had heard her and Nightwing's argument, which embarrassed her.

Instead, she shook her head and walked to her room. Morgan didn't bother to change out of her training clothes. She'd be going to bed soon enough anyway. Thanks so _someone_ she had school tomorrow.

After tying her hair into a pony tail – it was more of a giant fluff-ball at the back of her head, really – she sat down on her bed and crossed her arms over her chest with a small scowl on her face, determined to _not_ go down to the lowest level of the Cave. The desire to spite Nightwing was an almost constant with her and it was all the more potent now that she was angry with him.

And yet..

Curiosity nibbled at her resolve.

She shook her head stubbornly and wrapped her arms tighter around each other.

A few minutes later, she sighed loudly and deflated, reaching a hand up to rub her eye tiredly with her palm. "Damn you."

Morgan sat up further on her bed, planting her feet on the floor, and sighed again. Placing her hands on the bed, she hesitated for a moment before pushing herself up.

The winged girl made her way to the lowest part of the Cave, as slowly as possible in hopes of somehow conquering her curiosity before she got there and then turn back around. The Cave was eerily quiet and empty. With most team members on this new _very, very dangerous mission_ and the other members at their own homes, Morgan was quite alone. The halls seemed longer and darker somehow, less friendly.

It was all in her head, obviously, but she still couldn't shake that uneasiness.

With a start, as she rounded a corner and found the door to the stair case that lead down to the grotto, Morgan realized that the uneasiness stemmed from a strange sense of foreboding. She didn't know what she'd find down there, but whatever it was, it made her nervous.

Morgan had never been there before, but she knew her way easily around the Cave by now, so she had found it relatively fast.

And now she stood in front of the door, looking at it. She knew that she had to go down there, so, shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she grasped the handle and pulled the door open.

The tight feeling in her chest grew, but she told herself that she was being stupid. Nightwing had advised her to go, so there couldn't be anything dangerous down here. She had no reason to worry.

As she slowly stepped down the stairs, she got a gradually better view of the place. It was, indeed, an actual grotto with an underground lake. The lake made the air cold and clammy. The walls were rough and looked like they had been formed naturally and not been made by the heroes, unlike the rest of the Cave.

The grotto was dark, only illuminated by what Morgan saw was three holographic statues of superheroes she didn't recognize. Frowning, she stepped closer, her brain whirring with thought process, wondering why Nightwing would send her down here.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realized that, whatever she'd been afraid was down here, this was much, much worse. They were memorials.

There were three statues in the grotto. One was of a grown man, clad in a blue suit that looked like an outdated version of Blue Beetle's. There was a red-headed girl in a blue skirt and yellow tank-top that stopped right under her chest, showing off her stomach.

Morgan stood with her back to the last one, the one she'd been ignoring since the first time she accidentally set her eyes on it.

Eventually, she forced herself to turn around and face it.

It was a Robin, the red, yellow and black suit with the small 'R' on the chest unmistakable. His mask looked like Nightwing and Robin's only less pointy, his hair the same midnight black. Morgan silently wondered with he had the same eyes as Nightwing too.

She felt another pang of sympathy towards her usually unsympathetic mentor. It was the same rush of sympathy as when she'd found out that he was an orphan. As she looked at the blue-tinted holographic statue, she got the feeling that Nightwing hadn't just lost a team-member with this Robin, but also a friend, maybe even brother figure.

She understood now why he'd had sent her down here.

Some part of her, the part that remembered being a little excited girl hearing about the fabled Batman on the news, had childishly thought that none of the heroes ever died. It was a stupid notion, of course, and she knew this, but she'd always imagined that, no matter the situation, they always managed to find a way out. She thought they were invincible, and surely she'd be invincible too, now that she was part of the Team?

It was that part of her that urged her to keep bugging Nightwing about missions, because why should she be worried when none of them ever died? Why was he so worried when, obviously, she'd be fine at the end of the day? After all, the heroes always won – the ending was always happy.

Morgan now knew just how wrong she was.

They weren't invincible and powerful gods, they were _teenagers_. They were living, breathing beings, and as such, they could bleed. They could be killed.

Morgan understood that he wasn't forcing her to stay because he wanted to annoy her or hold her back. He was doing it to make sure she didn't die like these three had.

The reality of the statues, and her situation suddenly dawned on her. A shudder ran through her and Morgan suddenly felt like the underground grotto was crushing her, the air suffocating.

Finding a sudden burst of energy, she bolted up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. Her breathing was ragged and she leaned against the door in relief, her head hitting the steel roughly with a wince. As she opened her eyes and looked down the hall, it felt even creepier than when she'd been walking down it to get to the grotto.

Morgan didn't believe in ghosts, but she believed in them just a little bit more than usual at that moment.

Breathing in deeply, she pushed herself off the door and, head held high, marched down the hall, thinking that if she pretended to be brave, she'd start to feel brave.

She hid herself away in her room, skipping dinner even though she still was under orders from Batman and Nightwing to not to.

* * *

><p>The Bioship was thick with silence as Nightwing, Batman, Batgirl and Robin sat quietly at their respective stations. In the back, Lagoon Boy and Aquaman stood, carrying a whispered conversation between them in a language Nightwing didn't understand. Batman was obviously waiting with the briefing until they got closer to their destination.<p>

Nightwing figured this would be just as good a time as any to spring the news on him. At least here, with the two Atlanteans in the back, Nightwing could be sure that the talk wouldn't escalate into a fight.

"So, today was Morgan's first day of school." He began conversationally, not missing how the three bats – well, technically two bats and one bird – automatically tensed up as he broke the silence.

There was an uncertain silence as everyone waited for Batman to say something. He was obviously weighing his response, but eventually he said, in his usual monotone, "I trust it wasn't too unpleasant for her."

Nightwing shrugged and, glancing behind him briefly, he found Lagoon Boy and Aquaman still engrossed in their own conversation. Satisfied that they weren't paying attention, Nightwing leaned a fraction closer towards the others. "Oh yes, she already made a friend and everything. Apparently, she knew a certain Dick Grayson from somewhere else and had a chat with him."

Batman tensed up, and Nightwing could tell he was fighting the urge to turn around and meet Nightwing's steely gaze. Next to Batman, Robin's mouth opened in shock and his eyes grew in size as he turned and looked at Nightwing. Batgirl was fighting a small smile.

"She was really surprised to see him. Apparently she usually met him in a different environment." Nightwing went on, his conversational tone growing slightly tenser, a certain steel in his tone that he'd picked up from growing up with Bruce as a guardian.

"Well, perhaps she can get to know him even better now and perhaps even change their relation in a more positive direction."

Nightwing shot back in his seat in surprise at Batman's response, his brow tightening in confusion.

His cryptic words were easy enough to understand. Batman had suggested that Morgan's newfound knowledge of Nightwing's secret identity would help them get rid of the hostility between them and strengthen their strained relationship.

For a second, Nightwing actually contemplated whether Batman had given her that scholarship with this exact purpose in mind. He quickly dismissed the crazy thought, as he knew Batman would let the world crash and burn before he'd willingly let Nightwing – any of them for that matter – reveal their identities to anyone.

Well, maybe he wouldn't _exactly_ let the world crash and burn, but he'd certainly need a far better excuse than for Nightwing's trainee to lessen her attitude.

No, Nightwing rather chalked it up to Batman trying to turn the unfortunate incident into something useful, now that it couldn't be changed. And also he was trying to make it look like this totally wasn't his entire fault.

"And maybe Dick will just have to invite her home to meet the entire family." Nightwing responded sharply – it was an empty threat of course, he'd never reveal the others' identities just to spite Batman – "Since anonymity is apparently not important to his guardian anymore."

Batman fixed him with a sideways glance, but other than that, he didn't show any outwards reaction to Nightwing's empty threat.

By now, Nightwing knew Batman well enough to know that the conversation was over, so, sitting up straighter in his seat, he focused on his flying instead.

Behind him, Aquaman and Lagoon Boy were still talking.

* * *

><p>The alarm clock read past eleven when she heard footsteps in the hall outside her room. She been halfway asleep, so her heart jumped into her throat with surprise and slight fear, until she recognized M'Gann's voice, muffled behind the closed door. She realized that the Team must've been back. Pushing her biology textbook off of her lap, she slipped out of bed and headed for the closed bedroom door.<p>

She'd attempted to stay awake by doing homework, but had somehow managed to doze off. Morgan didn't normally stay up late to wait for the others to get back, but her newfound extreme awareness of her – and their – mortality had made her uneasy and terrified that one of them wouldn't come back. The mission had to be dangerous when so many of them had went, with the added aid from the League.

So, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep unless she heard from someone that everyone was okay, Morgan grasped her door handle and opened the door, stepping into the corridor. There weren't anyone there, but there was light around the corner, and lowered voices.

Morgan walked into the kitchen and found M'gann, Connor, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing. They were talking seriously, their brows furrowed and bodies tense.

"Guys?" Morgan asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes against the too bright, fluorescent kitchen-light after the darkness of the hall and her room. "Is everything alright?" She silently prayed that nobody was hurt, and that the serious atmosphere was just because everyone was a bit high-strung after the mission.

The conversation stopped and the five superheroes turned their heads to regard her.

Under their gazes, Morgan was suddenly aware that she was dressed in blue pajama pants that were too large for her and covered her feet, and a spaghetti-strapped white top that stopped about an inch above where her pants started. Her hair was a mess after the way she'd roamed around in her bed all night, her wings were ruffled too, and she wasn't wearing any make-up.

"Morgan," M'gann spoke first, her voice layered with a cheeriness that didn't match the serious tone she'd used a moment before. "Why are you still up?"

Morgan wiggled her bare toes against the cold kitchen floor and clasped her hands loosely behind her back. "I couldn't sleep. I was worried."

Nightwing's eyes widened a fraction. It was almost unnoticeable, but Morgan caught it and she knew he understood that she'd been to the grotto.

Sometimes, it was almost scary how well he could read people.

She cleared her throat and stood up straighter. "I mean, it was a pretty big team, with the help of several Leaguers, so I assumed it was a dangerous mission. I wanted to stay up to find out sooner how everything went." Morgan explained, knowing that her earlier explanation had sounded a bit too weak and chummy. She didn't want to appear weak or too attached. "So, how did it go?"

"Everyone is okay." Nightwing spoke up. The others had waited for him to speak because, since he was her mentor, they apparently figured he was the one responsible for giving Morgan information. Morgan rolled her eyes. This meant that they wouldn't tell her more than Nightwing did, and he always told her as little as possible. "That's all you need to know right now. You should go to bed. You have school tomorrow."

Morgan frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, jutting her hip out to the side. "So do you." She pointed out smugly. She quite enjoyed that she had something on him now.

Nightwing's frown deepened a tad, but other than that he didn't have much of a reaction. "I'll explain everything tomorrow." He promised. "But only if you go to bed now."

She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides, her left hand coming up to run through her curls. Untangling the hand and wondering why she even bothered trying to run a hand through her blonde mane when she knew it would just get stuck, Morgan shifted on her feet but turned slightly towards the doorway from which she'd come. "Okay, fine, _dad_. But you have to explain _everything_." She warned and turned around fully, marching back down the hall.

* * *

><p>The remaining young heroes waited until they heard Morgan's bedroom door close behind her before they spoke again.<p>

"You guys seem to be getting along better." M'gann pointed out. Connor looked away from M'gann and fixed Nightwing with his usual serious look. Nightwing shrugged. "We found we had something in common." He explained vaguely, wanting to move on from the topic as soon as possible so they could finish their discussion about their earlier mission and the intel M'gann had gained.

Robin and Batgirl shared a small knowing smirk before Robin turned back to Nightwing. "And what was that you had in common?" he asked, an unrealistic amount of irritating smugness in just that small sentence.

"None of your business." Nightwing quickly and tensely replied.

M'gann stepped up and placed a calming hand on his shoulders. "Nightwing and Morgan's relationship is none of our business." She interjected calmly. Nightwing rued her choice of words when Robin and Batgirl snickered and shared another look.

"Can we get this over with?" Connor spoke up, his voice tired, and Nightwing could have kissed him for the change of subject. "I want to get home and check up on Superman."

They thankfully appeared to drop the increasingly awkward subject. They finished their discussion a moment later.

He waited until he was sure everyone was gone before silently walking down the dark corridor until he reached Morgan's door. As he approached, he eyed the hole in the wall opposite the door, a hole he now knew was made by Morgan.

Nightwing knocked on her door quietly, knowing that she was still awake.

A moment later, the door opened and Morgan peeked out. Seeing it was him, she opened the door further to let him in.

From the silence and the tense line of her shoulders, Nightwing could tell she was annoyed with him. After more than a month of being her mentor, he'd learned to pick up on those sorts of signs, mainly because she always seemed to be annoyed with him. She allowed him to enter and shut the door behind him as she crossed her arms and started pacing slightly.

She looked at him eventually, her brow drawn in a serious line. "What the hell?" She asked incredulously.

Nightwing simply stared, waiting patiently for her to elaborate.

She started pacing again, and her wings fluttered in annoyance. She stopped and looked at him again. "You can't just spring that kind of shit on people without any warning first!" She accused, and Nightwing figured she was talking about the memorials in the grotto. Just thinking about them made his heart clench a certain way himself.

"I figured they'd make an impression." He admitted. He closed his mouth and wet his bottom lip. "An impression you sorely needed."

Morgan spluttered in indignation and then paused, tiredly covering her eyes with a hand. "An impression I-?" She sighed and stood up straight, taking in a deep breath through her nose as she seemed to reel in her anger. "I'm going to bed. And you're going to leave. I'll see you tomorrow."

Nightwing inclined his head. "I'll see you after dinner." He agreed cooly, letting her know he wouldn't be there for their usual afternoon training. Usually, he wouldn't slack like that, but Nightwing was too tired, weary to the bone, and he knew he needed the extra few hours of sleep. Besides, he didn't have any tomorrow, and he wanted to exploit the opportunity to sleep in late.

Morgan nodded and Nightwing left her room soon afterwards.

Her reaction irked him, but if Nightwing was good at one thing, it was keeping on a cool mask. He understood that the memorials must've been an unpleasant surprise, but he had hoped that her reaction would've been less hostile towards him and instead more understanding of his actions when it came to her protection.

As he approached the main room, Nightwing reminded himself that Morgan was an enigma that he had yet to understand.

He punched in the code for the Zeta tube closest to his own apartment and stepped through, disappearing with a flash of yellow light.

Once he arrived on the other side, he stood in a small underground room, the echo of the robotic female voice announcing his arrival still in the room. This was one of the least visited secret 'lairs' of the League, usually only used by him. He slipped out of the suit and into a pair of jeans, a hoodie and a cap, stuffing his costume into a sports bag.

Stepping out of the secret room, he closed the door – which was disguised as a telephone booth – he hefted the bag further up his shoulder with a small shrug, and breathed in the night air before beginning the trek home. He was only a few minutes away, so he walked slowly to enjoy the quiet night.

These quiet moments were too few and far in between, he noted with a tone of regret when he arrived at his door, digging out his key.

* * *

><p>January 7th<p>

Morgan groaned loudly, smacking her head theatrically against the mahogany table beneath her. Next to her, Esmeralda sported a confused look and Rachel snickered.

The table was surprisingly sturdy and Morgan sat up, rubbing away the pain in her forehead. "Ow."

Rachel laughed louder.

Leveling a glare at Esmeralda, Morgan said, "What do you mean the school's 'winter ball' is in two weeks' time?"

They were sitting in the 'canteen', though it looked more like the restaurant at some five star hotel. The floor was covered in a soft, red rug; the tables were all made from expensive dark mahogany, the chairs plush and big. Small islands of huge, fluffy couches and coffee tables were spread around the edges of the enormous, cozily lit room.

Morgan had quickly learned that, for a small extra price, you could order a specific dish the day before and then the next day they'd have it done at the exact second you'd requested. If you were more 'common' you could just choose something from the extremely vast selection of food the kitchen offered each day.

Esmeralda, eager to explain anything to the confused new girl, launched into the story. "Well, it's true that those sorts of things are usually held during Christmas, but here at G U, it's held later, in the middle of January. Everyone knows that it's totally an excuse for the principal to have some kind of celebration on her birthday."

Rachel nodded and took over. "The students usually come together to raise money for a gift during December, which we then present to her at the ball." Her mouth drew into an unimpressed line and she tugged on one of her dread locks. "This year people were kinda cheap. She's only getting a Ferrari."

Morgan spluttered in disbelief. "_Only_ a Ferrari?" She bit out.

"Yeah," Esmeralda sighed sympathetically. "Compared to the beach house she got last year, that'll be a real letdown."

Morgan turned her head so her eyes were hidden behind her hair before rolling them. The longer she stayed at this school, the more outraged she got at the view they had on money. These spoiled, rich kids threw it around like they had oceans of it, and the worst part was that they _did_ have oceans of it. It was money their parents' had earned, and now this generation was using it without respecting it at all.

Morgan had had to watch her mother accept every single extra shift she could at work, had to watch her slowly lose most of her friends because she didn't have time for them, had to see the way her mother's shoulders sagged in exhaustion whenever she thought Morgan wasn't watching, all because she needed to provide her small family with enough money to get by.

Morgan had had to spend several Christmases alone because her mother was working, had to smile gratefully at the minimum of gifts she would get, had to pretend that she'd forgotten her own birthday so her mother wouldn't feel bad for having forgotten too because she was too busy making sure they were fed.

And these people got their principal a Ferrari for her birthday.

Morgan sat silently and watched as a girl shouted at the chef because something on her plate had been cut in squares instead of triangles, and she felt her heart harden against these people.

"Excuse me." Morgan stood up, pulling her shoulder bag with her, feeling like she'd hit someone if she didn't leave now. "Gotta use the bathroom."

There was a rage boiling like lava in her stomach as she practically ran from the lavish room. She bumped into several people but she didn't register who, nor did she apologize. The ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing any of the angry words they directed at her as she swept by. Once Morgan left the cafeteria, she started running. She ran to get that itch out of her limbs, ran to get the burning sensation out of her throat and stomach. Ran to escape the school.

She wanted her mom. She wanted to go home.

It was snowing outside when she pushed the huge oaken doors apart, stumbling outside. Her breathing was broken and irregular as she kept running, slipping on the slick snow once or twice. She ran down the sidewalk and slipped into a small alley right next to the University.

As soon as she turned the corner and found herself in the small alley, she immediately wanted to get out again. An old man sat, shivering in the cold, against the wall as he tried to shield himself from the snow. Next to him lay an old Labrador, which he occasionally petted. He had looked up when Morgan skidded around the corner, but now his eyes were downcast again.

He was homeless. It was as plain as day.

Right next to that huge building filled with people that all had several houses each, sat a lonely, old man with nothing, and Morgan felt her heart clench at the injustice of it.

she paused before she approached him. "This seat taken?" She asked, pointing at the wall next to him.

He looked at her with a pair of sharp, intelligent, brown eyes before he shook his head.

Morgan leaned against the wall and slid down it until her butt touched the cold ground. She shivered in her school uniform. The black skirt, flimsy white shirt and knee-length socks didn't do much to keep the cold out.

Morgan looked at the old Labrador who met her gaze with sad, brown eyes. "Can I pet him?"

"Go ahead." The old man replied with a gravely and used voice.

Morgan reached forward and stroked the dog's head and down its back.

There was a pause between the two of them as Morgan kept petting the dog.

"What's a girl like you doing outside in weather like this, if ya don't mind my asking?" The old man asked, eyeing her school uniform. He could see she was from Gotham University because of the crest embroidered onto the breast pocket of her shirt.

Morgan shrugged and leaned her head against the wall, shivering when snowflakes hit her face. "I couldn't spend another second surrounded by those snobbish, wealthy people."

The old man dug into the front pocket on his dirty shirt and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and stuck it between his teeth before offering Morgan. She declined, though she was touched by the fact that _he_ was offering _her_ something. She could see the confusion on his face at her earlier statement, hidden behind his grey beard and deep wrinkles.

"I got in on a scholarship. Don't really own a penny other than those I get in charity." She elaborated, thinking of the credit card Nightwing had given her. "They're horrible. All of them. I hate that school."

"Then why don't you leave?"

Moran shrugged again, smiling ruefully. "When you're lucky enough to get enrolled in a place like that, you don't question it. And my.. _guardians _says I have to go. I don't have much of a choice."

The old man nodded and took a long drag from his cigarette, blowing smoke out through his nose. "Sorry to hear that. Don't sound easy."

Morgan snorted out a chuckle at the absolute irony of _him_ pitying _her_. She scratched the old dog behind its ear and its tail wagged happily with the attention she was giving it. "Can you tell me what time it is?"

The old man rolled his sleeve up to reveal an old and scratched watch. "Quarter past twelve."

Morgan groaned. "I have to get to class." A gust of icy wind blew through the alley and Morgan shivered violently, wrapping her arms around herself.

She stood up after giving the dog one last pet. "Thanks.. for listening."

The old man shrugged and pulled the butt of the cigarette out of his mouth, snuffing it out in the snow. "Anytime, doll."

Opening her backpack, Morgan pulled out the black sweatshirt that had come with the school uniform. She emptied all of her pockets for spare change and fished out an apple and a sandwich and gave the old man all the items.

She wouldn't miss the sweatshirt. She could always order a new one.

Without another word, she took a deep breath and walked the short way back to the school.

* * *

><p>Look at all of that character development.<p>

Hey guys! So I realize that last chapter created some confusion due to their age not matching their year in school.

I'm just a stupid dane who doesn't know anything about the American school system.

I _did_ do some research before writing anything, though, and that research told me that you usuall start college when you're 17-18 years old. Morgan is eighteen, so her being a first year at the university/college, is, I hope, perfectly logical. I figured that, since Dick is seven months older than Morgan, he'd be a year ahead of her, making him a second year student at the University/College thing.

I hope all of the websites I've gain my knowledge from weren't all horribly wrong and that this doesn't make me look like a total ass. If I've still got some details wrong, please tell me so that I can change them!

On a completely different note, I can't believe this story already has over a hundred reviews! You guys are awesome!

Fun fact: Both of Morgan's parents are pretty tall. They're both very confused as to how they'd managed to spawn such a short human.


	14. The Date

Chapter 14

The Date

Morgan was drenched in sweat and her muscles and joints were aching, but she kept attacking the punching bag with all she had. She was so _angry_ still. She'd had to clench her jaw and put a mental bind on herself all day and now that she was back at the Cave and alone in the gym, she wasn't going to hold back anymore.

Grunting, she punched the bag, Esmeralda and Rachel's words ringing in her ears. S_he's _only_ getting a Ferrari._

Scowling, she took a step back and aimed a kick to the side of the bag. "_Only._ A. Ferrari." she punctuated each word with a hit.

She closed her eyes briefly and saw the old man in front of her. The image of the cold, poor guy made her even angrier, and, seeing red, Morgan let out a feral growl as she kicked the punching bag as hard as she could. She must've accidentally put some of her powers behind the kick because the rope that held up the bag snapped, and the dead weight fell to the floor with a loud _thud_.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Morgan flinched when she heard Nightwing's part surprised, part disapproving voice. Looking up, she spotted him by the door. She's been expecting him for at least ten minutes now, knowing that they had some things to talk about after what had happened yesterday.

She's tried to avoid thinking too much about it all day, but it had still taken up a lot of space.

"I'm practicing." She replied shortly. Morgan looked at the bag on the ground, nudging it slightly with her foot. "Sorry about the punching bag."

"It can be replaced." He graciously decided. His masked eyes turned to her next, and he cocked his head slightly to the side. "Are _you_ okay?"

Morgan wanted to respond with something along the lines of 'nonna' ya damn biz' but instead she sighed and sat down on the punching bag. Honestly, she was too tired and wound up to have too much of an attitude right now. Placing her head in her hands, she sighed. "I hate rich people."

"Thanks."

"Okay, not all rich people. I just hate the people at Gotham University."

"Still thanks." Nightwing replied dryly.

"Okay, not all the people at Gotham University, I just hate young, rich, spoiled kids that live off of their parents' money and don't respect it."

Nightwing hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her on the punching bag. "What happened?"

And before Morgan could stop herself, remind her that this was _Nightwing_ and she barely got along with him on a good day, and he was probably the last person she'd consider when talking about these kinds of things, she found herself spilling her heart out to him.

"They were just talking about this winter ball thing and how the students always got the principal a gift for it and then suddenly Rachel said that this year the students' had been cheap because they'd only raised enough money to buy her a _Ferrari_ and Esmeralda totally agreed and I was just so _disgusted_ by the absolute disregard the people at this place has for money." She plowed on in a single breath, "So, I kind of ran away from the school and I ended up in this small alley right next to it where this old, homeless man was sitting, _shivering_ from the cold. And I was just hit with how unfair it was that they got to lounge around in there in their expensive leather sofas and munch on foi gras while other people _right outside_ were cold and starving. And then I gave him my lunch and spare change and sweatshirt, but I just wish I could've done _more_. I wish the rich people would do _more_ to help those that don't have anything and,_ oh my god_, I feel like I'm burning from the inside out with this desperate need to help those that need it but I feel so helpless and insignificant, like I'll never be able to do _enough_."

There was a long pause after her frantic speech and Morgan felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. She'd just had the worst case of word vomit _ever_ and admitted things she hadn't even properly admitted to herself yet.

In front of _Nightwing!_

_.. Nightwing! _

Eventually, he cleared his throat. "I know that this is probably not helpful at all but.. I know how you feel."

Morgan stopped staring at the ground in embarrassment and fixed her eyes on the side of his face instead.

"When I was first adopted, I was suddenly thrown into this world of upper-class people, and I was outraged by the way they so greedily spent their money. My guardian is very rich and powerful, and I knew that whatever he did would seem 'cool' to the other upper-class people, so I begged him to make charity the next big thing. But I always felt like I wasn't doing enough."

Morgan watched him intensely, intrigued by this new side of her mentor. Nightwing rarely opened up to her, so when he did, she made sure to listen extra carefully.

"Then I became Robin. And I finally had an activity I could place all of that need to change the world into. I used Robin to make the world safer for everyone else, to save lives and bring people to justice. And I use Nightwing to do the same thing."

He shifted slightly, placing his elbows on his knees. His side was facing Morgan, and because of this and the mask he was wearing, she couldn't really see any of his emotions. She'd just have to trust that he was being sincere.

"I won't lie to you," he went on, intertwining his hands in front of him. "That itch to change the world doesn't go away once it's first arrived. But becoming a hero, like we are.. it helps. Every time a mission goes right, every time you've stopped a robber on the street.. You feel better."

Morgan found that she was glad she'd decided to open up to him. He gave good advice and it seemed he was honest and real with her.

They sat in silence for another minute before Nightwing stood up again, clapping his hands together. "So. Let's fight."

Morgan smiled lopsidedly and stood up too.

Half an hour and a lot of sweat, pain and falling later, Morgan spoke up. "I get it, by the way." She ducked to avoid an attack from Nightwing and rolled away, ending up in a crouched position a few paces away. "Why you sent me down to the grotto. And I'm sorry for being such a bitch about it."

Morgan flapped her wings, using the boost to jump high in the air and land behind her mentor. Nightwing turned around and came at her again. "I probably should've told you what was down there before telling you to go. But I was angry and on a tight schedule.."

Morgan jumped backwards several paces and blocked a jab aimed at her side. Then grunted when he got in a hit on her other side because she'd left it open. "It was probably for the best. I guess I needed to accept that superheroes aren't invincible."

"Well, glad to be of service."

"And I'm sorry."

"You said that already."

Morgan leapt forward in an attempt to catch him by surprise but instead she found herself locked in his annoyingly strong grip and she struggled to get loose.

"That's not what I meant." She placed both hands on his chest and pushed, and Nightwing let go, not because she forced him to, Morgan figured, but because he knew the fight was stuck until he did.

Morgan couldn't help but think that that probably was a bit too much close proximity between them for one day anyway.

"I meant I'm sorry for your loss. It couldn't have been easy for you and Batman.. Losing a Robin, I mean."

Nightwing halted in his steps and before Morgan could stop, she'd kicked him in the stomach. He let out a grunt of surprise.

"Sorry!" She squeaked and took a step back.

"It's fine." He reassured her. He paused for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. "But let's call it a day."

Morgan nodded and wiped at her sweaty forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Nightwing shortly said, heading for the exit.

Morgan flinched and, because apparently the newest trend was telling Nightwing anything and everything you felt, she called after him, "I'm sorry for bringing him up! I didn't mean to overstep any boundaries."

Morgan had lost count of how many times she'd said 'sorry' since their conversation started.

He paused with his back to her. "You didn't." he eventually assured her. "I just don't like to talk about it."

Morgan didn't stop him again when he started walking, leaving the gym. She'd never seen him practically flee a situation like that, he was the enduring type, so she figured this really was a _very_ sore subject.

"And Morgan," He turned around and Morgan snapped her head up to look at him again. "Don't hate the rich kids. Pity them. Because one day they'll be thrown into the real world, and they won't know what hit them."

Morgan nodded, finding the energy to force through a small smirk. Nightwing left afterwards, leaving behind a very tense girl who regretted bringing up the subject of her mentor's dead friend.

Morgan groaned and rolled her eyes. Her and her big mouth. They'd almost made a bit of progress, but now she'd ruined it.

* * *

><p>January 13th<p>

"We need to do something fun for once." M'gann announced.

Morgan, Connor, Garfield and Cassie were sitting in the living room, each of them in various stages of boredom. Connor stood behind the couch with the usual glare on his face as he watched the news on their large TV, occasionally peeling his eyes away to watch in amazed disgust as Garfield loudly and messily consumed two bags of chips, a liter of coke, and a bar of chocolate.

The green-skinned boy's excuse was that he was having a growth spurt and needed the calories.

Cassie took up the entire couch as she lay on her back, reading a magazine, and her sprawled out position was the reason Connor chose to stand. There simply wasn't enough space on the couch for both of them.

Morgan was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, her back leaning against it, picking at a loose thread on the rug while halfheartedly paying attention to the TV.

That's how M'gann found the four of them. It was late Sunday afternoon and not a single member of the team had gone on a mission. The entire world had decided to be boring that day. Most of the others had gone home already, but Cassie had chosen to stay because she was waiting for Wonder Woman. Something about extra training, Morgan honestly wasn't sure what she'd said because she hadn't really been listening.

M'gann, upon entering the room and receiving not a single greeting from any of the four, had sighed, placed her hands on her hips in a motherly fashion, and declared that they needed to do something.

Garfield paused mid-chew and faced her. Swallowing loudly, he asked, "Like what?"

"I don't know.. Something fun."

Morgan snorted. "You guys could always help me do my homework?"

"No thank you." Cassie's voice was slow with boredom and she didn't blink or divert her gaze as she kept reading her magazine.

Connor uncrossed his arms but other than that, he didn't offer any input to their conversation.

"But you're right." Morgan agreed. "If I get any more bored, I'm afraid my face is literally gonna go so slack, it'll fall clean of my head."

"That'd be fun." Garfield helpfully remarked. "I mean, I'd certainly be entertained for the rest of the evening."

"We could go spar?" M'gann suggested, walking further into the room and sitting down on the edge of the couch, causing Cassie to bend her legs to allow the alien room. "Everyone against everyone?"

"As the only normal human, I find that idea stupid and dangerous." Morgan replied, leaning her head backwards against the couch so she could see M'gann upside-down.

"You have wings and telekinesis." M'gann pointed out. "Hardly a normal human."

"As the only one with little-to-non fighting experience, especially against superpowered beings, I find that idea stupid and dangerous." Morgan amended.

Connor rolled his eyes and finally moved, though it was only to grab the remote and turn up the sound on the TV. "I'm trying to watch here." He complained.

"Okay, so no fighting." M'gann decided, wracking her brain for something else to do. "What about going outside? We could make a campfire and roast marshmallows?"

Garfield looked eager at the thought of s'mores and Morgan almost felt bad for pointing out the flaw in M'gann's suggestion.

"Aren't you, like, allergic to fire or something?"

"Not if I stay at a safe distance." M'gann replied.

"Even so, the _snow storm_ going on outside does kind of ruin the otherwise undoubtedly cozy idea." Morgan added.

"It's not a snow _storm_." M'gann protested.

Everyone fell silent as the news anchor conveniently advised the residents in Happy Harbor to stay inside as the winds outside had evolved into a regular storm.

Cassie snickered behind her magazine and one corner of Connor's mouth tilted upwards.

"So how about a game?" Cassie suddenly suggested, putting aside her magazine and sitting up. "There's a monopoly game lying around _somewhere_ in the Cave."

"That's not a bad idea." Morgan agreed. "If we can find it."

"I thought Nightwing confiscated it after the last time we played?" Garfield wondered as he munched on another mouthful of bacon-chips.

This sounded like an interesting story, Morgan decided. "What happened?"

Garfield grimaced, M'gann laughed nervously and scratched the back of her neck. Even Connor cringed slightly. "You don't want to know." The three said in synchronization.

Morgan shifted so she was facing the couch. "Well, now I _really_ want to know." She accused.

Garfield hopped nimbly off his perch on the couch's armrest. "Think of how a normal game of monopoly usually ends and then imagine it when it's a bunch of superpowered kids playing instead."

Morgan grimaced as she saw the image in her mind. "Okay," She let it go, "So no monopoly. How about a card game?"

"Can't." Cassie stood up. "Wonder Woman's here."

Morgan was about so ask how she knew but then remembered that the girl had all sorts of powers, super hearing probably included.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She greeted cheerily and then left.

Morgan sighed. "I guess I'd better do my homework anyway.." she grumbled, standing. "I used to have all the time in the world to do my homework and now I feel like I never have the time to get any of it done."

It sounded like complaining, but it really wasn't. The reason Morgan didn't seem to have time for any homework was because she was doing something much more important. Spending time with friends and training to help protect the world some day. Surely that was more important than math equations and English essays.

Morgan barricaded herself in her room for the rest of the night to focus on her school work. The hours stretched on and in her solitude she almost felt like she was back with her mom again, like the last few months hadn't happened at all.

Thinking too much about her mom caused an ache like no other in her chest and once she felt her eyes water, she firmly pushed the thought of her mom as far from her mind as possible to focus on her work and then go to bed.

She missed her mom so, so much. She hated the way things had ended between them. Morgan had tried to accept that perhaps her mother wasn't even interested in seeing her again, but a small part of her still had hope that they'd be reconciled in some way.

It would make her life infinitely easier and far less heartbreaking if she knew her mother still loved her and that she was always welcome at her place.

* * *

><p>January 18 th<p>

It had taken Esmeralda fifteen minutes of begging, whining and eye-lash batting to convince Morgan to let her do her nails.

The three girls had startlingly similar schedules, including all of their free periods, which they'd taken to spend in the school's library, drinking cocoa, talking, sometimes doing homework, and reading. Currently, Morgan was watching in trepidation as Esmeralda was digging into her bag and pulling one nails polish after the other out of it.

The blonde girl had fought, tooth and nail, doing everything she could to avoid her humiliating fate, but if there was one battle she knew she'd lose, it was this one. Esmeralda had been dropping 'subtle' hints that she wanted to give Morgan a makeover before the winter ball and Morgan had finally caved, even agreeing to joining her and Rachel's sleepover the night before the ball.

"It'll be fun!" Esmeralda reassured her. "We'll go shopping for dresses and afterwards we'll go to my place. Then we'll get ready together the next day."

In the end, Morgan had weighed the pros and cons. It wasn't that she disliked Rachel and Esmeralda per se, but she could only deal with a certain doze of them at a time.

On the other hand, she had no idea what she was supposed to wear and how she was supposed to look and behave during that ball and their input and advice would be greatly appreciated. Part of her told herself that she didn't care about what she should wear or how she should behave, that she didn't care what the people at school thought of her. A larger part acknowledged that she was probably going to go to this school for four years and she didn't want to spend them in constant alienation from her fellow students.

So choosing her course of action had been easy in the end.

She'd agreed to go to their sleepover the former Friday and now, Monday, Esmeralda had showed up with a pair of black high heels that fit Morgan perfectly, as well as a few papers with color schemes.

"I usually plan this kind of thing weeks ahead but since you only agreed a few days ago.." She held up a few of the color schemes, comparing them to Morgan's complexion, hair, and eyes. "We'll have to make do."

Morgan batted the paper away moodily. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out which colors suit you. For your dress, nails, jewelry and makeup."

Rachel nodded solemnly. "These kinds of things aren't just thrown together, you know. Fashion is a science."

"Me, for example." Esmeralda began, "I'm golden-blond and tan so golden makeup and bright red lipstick suits me best."

"And because of my darker colors," Rachel took over as she held up another color scheme, "Warm colors such as red, orange and brown suits me best – oooh that one looks promising."

"Yeah, the color fits her eyes _perfectly_ and would really compliment her hair." Esmeralda agreed.

"What?" Morgan asked, finding herself unexpectedly into this already. "Which?"

Esmeralda laid down a piece of paper and explained the basics. "This color scheme represents the dress, this one the makeup, and this one the jewelry and nails." She pointed to each respective square clutter of colors.

Morgan looked at them. According to the paper, the girls planned for her to wear a royal blue dress with silver jewelry and smoky eyes.

"But if you didn't know what would suit me before, why did you bring me these?" Morgan held up the simple black pumps.

Esmeralda smiled slyly. "I figured you'd appreciate something simple. And also I got the feeling you'd need a few days of getting used to walking in them."

Morgan, first instinct to argue as usual, opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again when she realized that Esmeralda was spot on. "I look that hopeless, do I?" She asked, grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah, you kinda do." Rachel agreed. "But a few hours of practice and you'll walk like a pro. Don't worry."

Morgan looked at the shoes and had to admit that if she'd ever wear heels, this was the kind she'd want. "Thanks guys." She decided to voice her appreciation. "I'll take these home and walk around in them for a bit then, shall I?"

"Please do." Esmeralda agreed as she collected all the color scheme papers and stuffed them into her bag, leaving the chosen one behind. "Obviously we can't know what size and type of dress will fit you yet, but already knowing the color really narrows down the field."

"And now: your nails!" Esmeralda cheered and pulled forth a manicure set from behind her back. Rachel immediately scooted closer.

"I was thinking of the traditional white on the tips and then a blue color that matches the dress." Esmeralda told her.

Rachel frowned slightly, nodding contemplatively. "Yeah, but perhaps a silver instead of blue to match the jewelry?"

"Isn't silver nails a little tacky?" Morgan piped up. She was sitting on the other side of the small circular table, patiently awaiting her doom.

The two girls looked up at her simultaneously, not saying a word, and Morgan got the feeling she'd said something stupid.

"Gold nails would be." Esmeralda explained. "Silver's not that bad. But if it would make you uncomfortable, we can use blue instead, but with silver tips?"

"Look girls," Morgan held up her hands in silent surrender. "I know nothing about these things. I trust you're more than capable of choosing the right thing. You're more qualified than me, anyway."

Rachel shrugged and the two girls put their heads together again in deep discussion.

"Alright, so we've decided." Esmeralda announced a moment later. "White tips, blue nails _aaand,_" she pulled out a small plastic box with beads in them. "A flat silver bead on each nail. It'll look _adorable!_ Gimme your hands."

"Wait, you want to do them _now_?" Morgan questioned, sitting on her hands in protest.

"Sure, why not? The party's in a few days time." Esmeralda shrugged. "So unless you decide engage in some sort of physical labor, like, say, a fight, I think you can avoid ruining the polish. And if you _do _ruin it, we'll do them over the night before."

She almost felt like telling Esmeralda that Morgan engaging in a fight in the next few days was more likely than they'd think. She _did_ have a sparring session with Nightwing later that day, and he'd promised to take her for a patrol in the city tonight.

The manicure would definitely get ruined.

"Morgan, hand over your hands." Rachel commanded.

Morgan _did_ hand over her hands and only with a minimum of grumbling and complaining too. "Det bliver jeres egen skyld når I skal starte forfra på torsdag."1 she mumbled to herself. By now the two other girls had learned to ignore her muttered Danish.

They sat in silence for a while as the two girls started working on her hands. Rachel was filling her nails even on one hand as Esmeralda prepared the manicure set. As soon as Rachel finished, the two girls swapped places and Esmeralda started painting the nails on Morgan's left hand as Rachel began filing the nails on her right hand.

After Esmeralda had finished three of her nails, Rachel broke the silence. "Now," she adopted a devilish look that made Morgan nervous. "We just need to find you a date."

After staring at her in absolute horror for several seconds, Morgan sat up straight and shook her head vigorously. "Absolutely not."

"Aw _come on!_" Esmeralda begged and slung herself over the table, fixing Morgan with a wide eyed look.

"Come on guys," Morgan said almost desperately. "How on earth am _I _going to get a date?" She motioned around the room with her free hand, pointing out that nearly every girl there looked like a supermodel and Morgan.. did not. Given the choice between Morgan and the other girls in this place, the guys wouldn't exactly be lining up in an attempt to ask her to the ball. "And I'll never be able to build up enough courage to ask someone out myself."

Rachel looked at some point behind Morgan, her devilish look curling into an absolutely evil smirk. Raising to fingers to her mouth, she left out a loud whistle. Morgan jumped in surprise at the sudden noise.

"Yo! Darren!"

Morgan looked behind her and spotted a small group of guys standing a few tables over. One in particular was looking at Rachel, and Morgan figured he must be Darren.

Rachel waved at him to signal him closer and by now she had gained the attention of every guy in the group. Morgan spotted the blue ties around their necks and realized they were second years.

To her horror, as the five guys approached, she spotted Nightwing in the group.

"_Whatareyoudoing_?" Morgan rapidly hissed under her breath as she turned back to Rachel, whose smirk only widened into a friendly smile, her eyes fixed on the group approaching.

"You'll see." She muttered back.

"Whats up?" Darren asked when he finally arrived, his hands dug into his pockets in an attempt to appear casual. He was tall – not as tall as Nightwing, Morgan noted – and blonde, with a pair of soft brown eyes and a well-enough attractive face.

"You got a date for the Winter Ball?" Rachel asked sweetly. Morgan got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched the scene unfold. She locked eyes with Nightwing – Dick, she supposed he should be called right now – before she redirected her eyes.

Darren shrugged. "Not yet."

"Would you invite Morgan as your date?" She asked, her sweet smile widening even further.

Morgan's jaw unhinged, her eyes widening in absolute horror. She saw Dick turn his head to hide the amused smile playing at his lips and her face burned with embarrassment as she kept her own eyes trained on the table.

The entire thing was mortifying from start to finish. Darren fell silent as he studied her unabashedly, his eyes roaming from her wildly curled head to her hands – which, to Morgan's embarrassment were still being manicured by Esmeralda – to the way she'd turned her chair around, her front leaning against the backrest, legs straddling it.

He seemed to not entirely hate what he saw because he shrugged again. "Sure why not."

Dick's smile dropped, his mouth pursing in a displeased line and he looked between his friend and Morgan.

"Great!" Rachel cheered. "It's decided then. Wear this color for your tie, please." Rachel took the paper with the decided color scheme on it and ripped half of the dress color off, handing the small slip of paper to the man, who accepted. "We'll see you this Friday."

"Sure." Darren said, flashing a brief smile at Morgan, who was staring straight ahead in pure horror and didn't notice the smile at all, her neck and face burning with her blush.

Then the small group of boys shuffled away again, some of them laughing and teasing their blonde friend.

Nightwing was at the back of the group and Morgan caught his eyes for a second, her eyes scream 'help me!'. His face was unreadable as he turned around and disappeared with his friends.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Morgan finally forced out, training her stormy eyes on a smug-looking Rachel.

"Aaand, that's how you get a date." She said instead of answering. "You're welcome."

"What if I didn't _want_ a date?" Morgan accused. "And even if I did, which I'm _not_ saying I do, what if I didn't want _that guy_ to be my date?"

Esmeralda giggled. "Darren's a perfectly nice guy. Don't worry about it. But I can understand if you're annoyed because you had.. _someone else _you wanted to go with?" Her sweet smile turned teasing, her eyebrow raised suggestively.

Morgan scoffed. "Like who?"

"Oooh," Rachel caught on, a sly smile taking over her own face. Morgan was utterly clueless and kind of scared.

"After all, he _was_ in the same group of guys just now. You could've just as easily asked _him_, right Rachel?"

"Yes. Perhaps I should've asked _Dick Grayson_ if he was interested? Would you have liked that better?"

Morgan's mouth dropped open for a second time in just as many minutes and she began spluttering as she attempted to debunk their groundless suspicions. "Are you _insane? _I'd go to the dance with a rotting fish than that rich boy!" Morgan said fiercely.

Perhaps too fiercely as the two girls started chortling gleefully. "You totally did! You wanted to go to the Winter Ball with Dick Grayson!" Rachel accused.

Morgan flushed, out of anger she told herself, and pulled her hands back as Esmeralda finished her last nail. "You guys are ridiculous. I _don't_ want to date Dick Grayson. Now shut up so I can finish my math homework. That's why I'm here to begin with. Learning and stuff."

Morgan attempt edto block out their giggling and teasing as she grabbed her pencil and calculator and set to work. She was soon completely immerged in her own little world of math and science, not even registering the small talk that passed between her two only friends at Gotham Academy.

Still, occasionally, a small nagging voice would make itself known and she'd find herself contemplating something she didn't want to spare a single thought on.

_Did_ she want to go to the ball with Nightwing? And if so, was that because he was the only boy she knew at the school or because of something else?

* * *

><p>1: "You've only got yourselves to blame when you're gonna have to start over on thursday."<p>

Just a heads up: I'm going to slow down on updating just a wee bit. If I keep going at this rate, I wont be able to keep up with my writing at some point and that would make my updates sporadic and slow. So expect updates every five days instead of twice a week.

Also, due to some very helpful reviews, I think I've got the hang of how college works now. Sorry for being such an idiot. I've decided that Gotham University is a private college. (Actually I've kind of thought of it as a private university from the beginning. A place for the elite to bring their kids.)

Thank you guys for helping me out!

Fun Fact: Morgan is red/green color blind and finds M'gann horribly confusing to look at sometimes.


	15. The Sparrow

Chapter Fifteen

The Sparrow

Nightwing walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a strange sight. Batgirl, Bumble Bee and Beast Boy were sitting on the kitchen table, laughing their asses off as they watched Morgan attempt to walk around in a pair of black high heels, leaning on M'gann for support.

For a moment he simply stood in the door, analyzing what was even going on.

"No, Morgan, back straight and butt out, I already told you!" M'gann sighed with exasperation as the girl in question stumbled for, Nightwing suspected, not the first time.

"What does that even _mean_? 'Butt out'?" she groaned. "How do you 'out' your butt?"

"Girl, how do you not know how to walk in high heels?" Bumble Bee asked between laughs.

"I've done what I could to seem uninteresting and invisible since I was thirteen, walking in high heels was never a priority." Morgan grumbled. Her eyes widened as she lost her balance again and stumbled forward. "Åh gud!"1 she shouted, the foreign words a clear sign of her distress. "_Of_ _course_ I don't know how to walk in high heels!"

Nightwing cleared his throat and five pairs of eyes found him, Morgan groaning as another person came to bear witness to her embarrassment.

".. what are you doing?" He asked, for lack of a better way to approach the situation in front of him.

"Morgan is going to this ball thing at her school." Batgirl elaborated – Nightwing already knew, obviously, he'd been present when her friend – Rachel, was it? – had forced Morgan into going with one of his friends just a few hours prior. "Anyway, her friends told her to practice her walk. And she's even worse than anticipated." Barbara finished with a small chuckle.

Morgan emitted a small 'eep' and disappeared behind the kitchen counter as she crashed to the floor and everyone froze for a few silent seconds.

A roar of laughter filled the silence a moment later once Morgan reappeared. "Forget it." She growled and kicked the shoes off. "The only way I'll be able to move around in these things is if I _fly_."

Morgan froze, her eyes widening slightly and she looked at Nightwing. "Wait.. do you think I could do that?"

A powerful beat of her wings sent the girl propelling into the air and she landed on the kitchen table, pushing Beast Boy to the ground with an undignified grunt.

"No." Nightwing debunked firmly. "Now come on."

Morgan pouted and jumped to the floor. "Party pooper." She gathered her things, sticking her tongue out at the other teens as they kept laughing, and followed after Nightwing.

By now, the two of them had entered a sort of routine. Nightwing would find Morgan somewhere in the Cave, they'd first walk to her room where she'd change into training clothes, Nightwing waiting outside obviously, and then they'd go to the gym to train.

As they approached her door, Nightwing noticed that she hadn't even changed out of her school uniform yet, and the clothes unpleasantly reminded him of the encounter he'd been witness to early that day.

He hadn't planned on going to the stupid winter ball himself at all, but now he'd have to, to keep an eye on Morgan and Darren.

Purely because he knew Darren was a ladies' man and relentless flirt at his _best_, and a downright asshole that pressured his dates into having sex with him at his _worst_. He'd have to warn Morgan about that at some point, preferably today so she'd have the chance to change her mind about going with him before it was too late.

Darren would sink his claws into her over Dick's dead body.

Nightwing stopped his own train of thought and wondered where that last bitter one had come from.

In the end, what did he care if Darren and Morgan _did_ get together? If Morgan wanted to have sex with Darren, she was welcome to. That was none of his business.

Nightwing stopped his own train of thought again. He'd tell her about Darren's true colors and then he'd stay out of it. That was his final decision.

Morgan stepped out of her room in a pair of black yoga pants and a green t-shirt with the Green Lantern logo on it, and, at Nightwing's disapproving gaze, a shit-eating smirk.

They'd reached the gym when Morgan paused in front of the doors. "Can't we do something different today?" She questioned. Nightwing turned to her with a blank face.

"It's just.." she tugged at a curl before pulling it behind her ear. "Esmeralda did my nails and I promised to not ruin them." She grimaced like she only just now realized how silly that sounded.

"We're going on patrol tonight. They'll be ruined either way." He pointed out.

"Right." She shook her head and stepped into the gym. "Forget I said anything."

* * *

><p>The two teenagers sat perched on top of a large storage building, watching the docks in Blüdhaven. The frigid January wind was violently lashing at any exposed skin and making their hair fly in all directions. Apparently, if Nightwing's sources were to be believed, a ship was supposed to arrive around midnight that they needed to stop. It's cargo? Drugs. Lots of them, most likely from Gotham.<p>

"Could get dangerous." Nightwing had warned her. "Not as bad as in Gotham, but people tend to be protective of this kind of cargo because it's so valuable. You can expect gunfire."

Morgan had nodded and steeled her nerves, determined to prove her worth. This was the first real and proper dangerous patrol he'd let her go along with and she intended to show that she was up for it.

Morgan got a bunch of curls in her face for the fifth time that night and sighed in frustration as she went in search of something to tie it back with. Checking both of her wrists, she regrettably noted that she was not in position of any hair elastic's at the given time.

"You got a scrunchie?" she asked Nightwing.

He paused his constant vigilant watch of the docks below and faced her. "Excuse me?" He said.

"A hair band?" She repeated. "I can't see a damn thing with all of this hair in front of my eyes."

"Well, you really should've thought of that before we left."

"But I didn't _need_ a scrunchie back then, mom!" Morgan's voice adopted the whiny tone of a child.

He sighed before digging into one of the pouches he had fastened around his waist and, to Morgan's amazement, actually managed to produce a small, grey hair elastic.

"I _knew_ there was a reason I keep you around." She cheered and accepted the band before quickly forcing her wild hair into a messy braid, securing the end with the elastic. "I need to get me one of those pouch-belt things. I'd store all sorts of helpful shit in them."

"Morgan, I'm trying to concentrate." Nightwing sighed, his voice laced with annoyance.

"On what?" She scoffed and looked around them. "There's no one in sight. Any ship arriving or leaving we'll notice immediately. There's no need to keep your eyes peeled on the docks like that."

A cold wind ruffled her feathers and Morgan shivered before sitting down and leaning her back against the small outcropping they were hiding behind on the stupid roof.

"Getting back on subject, where can I get some of those handy pouch-belts?"

"I'll have Batman lend you one of my old ones in the morning. If you decide it's something you'd like to add permanently to your costume, we'll have a custom made belt shipped in a month. Deal?"

"Deal." Morgan agreed. Nightwing was being almost nice so she decided to not be difficult for once.

Besides, she was in a cheery mood right now. "What do you keep in yours?" She questioned a moment later.

Without missing a beat, his voice serious and dead-pan, his body taught and not moving a muscle, Nightwing answered "Condoms."

Morgan sat in a stunned silence for a moment, her mouth opened in a small 'o'. He was obviously lying, but Morgan didn't think she'd ever heard him crack a joke before so for a small, hilarious and horrifying moment, she thought he'd been telling the truth.

"Wait, was that a joke?" She questioned jokingly and got up on her knees, resting her arms against the small banister that separated her from a ten meter drop to the sidewalk below them. She leaned out so she could more easily watch his face. "Did Nightwing, master of having a stick up his ass, actually joke?" she spoke with humor, a small laugh teasing her lips to let him know she was only messing around. They were practically being friendly and she didn't want to ruin it.

A small twitch of the corner of his lips that _almost_ looked like a smile was enough confirmation that he had indeed been joking.

"I used to be the team's most laid back and joking member, you know." He defended himself, his eyes still trained on the grounds below him. "Except for Wally maybe. Anyway, as the leader of the team, I can't really afford to joke around as much as I used to."

"Well," Morgan spoke softly to match his faraway tone. "Just because you can't joke as much as you used to do, doesn't mean you should just stop altogether." She quirked her lip into a small smile and nudged him playfully. "On the other hand, you're almost tolerable when you don't act so uptight so maybe you shouldn't start joking. You'd lose that intimidation factor."

"I intimidate you?" He asked.

Morgan laughed. "Not a chance Dickie-wing. But you still want to keep up pretenses if you want to keep the team in line. We can't all harbor complete disregard of your leadership skills, the Team would fall apart."

He sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes underneath his black mask.

Morgan realized that this was probably as much lightheartedness and teasing as her uptight mentor could handle for one night so she shut up and watched the docks with him in silence. She fidgeted a bit in her skintight, dark blue suit and played with the curled end of her braid, trying to hold off the boredom as well as she could. Her mask was irritating her because she had nothing else to focus on. Taking it off briefly, she quickly shoved it back onto her face when Nightwing leveled her with a disapproving look.

She really _did_ want to prove that she was improving as a hero and that she was capable of acting like a professional.

"Is Robin gonna join us?" She asked minutes later. She'd joined Nightwing for patrol a handful of times now, and Robin had joined them a few of those times. Whether because Robin also needed training or because Nightwing knew he'd need the extra help to deal with Morgan for an entire night, she didn't know.

"No." He replied shortly, and Morgan knew that was the only answer she'd get out of him.

Surprisingly, he was the one to break the silence after several minutes of boring, fruitless watching.

"He's a creep, you know." He spoke up vaguely. Morgan had no idea who he was talking about.

".. Who?"

"Darren." Nightwing elaborated. "The guy who's your 'date' for the winter ball."

"Oh." Morgan was, to say the least, confused – and slightly surprised that her mentor was even bringing the ball up. What was he going on about? "How so?"

"He pressures his dates into having sex with him and gets mad if they say no." Nightwing explained, looking briefly at her before looking away, like the subject was too awkward for him to approach while maintaining eye contact. "He'll most likely expect sex from you by the end of the night."

Morgan sat in stunned silence for a moment before giggling slightly. "Oh come on, when the room's filled with those rich, model-material girls, he won't spare me a second thought. He only accepted because he knew it'd be rude and awkward to say no to my face while my friend was asking him out _for me._"

Nightwing's brows furrowed. "I know the guy, Morgan. Trust me, if he didn't find you attractive, he wouldn't have said yes."

Morgan was obviously not taking this subject as seriously as she guessed Nightwing wanted her to. "Whatever." She waved him away nonchalantly. "Trust _me_ when I say the guy is getting nothing from me. I can totally handle him. It's not happening."

Nightwing's shoulders sagged in – was that relief?

"Good. I don't need anyone on my team getting pregnant or something stupid like that right now."

"Hey, if I want to get pregnant I'll go and do it right now, your precious team be damned."

Nightwing looked decidedly uncomfortable and Morgan wondered how talking about her sex-life – or lack thereof – was able to break his otherwise unbreakable stout exterior.

The guy was probably a total virgin.

Despite his annoyingly good looks.

Honestly, he'd probably, if he put any effort into it, land a girl pretty fast. All he needed to do was flash those blue eyes and that jaw-line at her.

Hell, Morgan wasn't even sure _she_ would be entirely opposed to the idea. She was surrounded by the guy in his tight suit every day; she _knew_ he had a damn fine body underneath that thing.

Morgan cursed herself for thinking this as soon as she realized her own thoughts. She was _not_ thinking about being sexed up by her superior officer, or whatever he was called. Highly unprofessional.

Shaking her head, she shuffled away from him a bit, needing to create distance.

"If they're not here in half an hour, I'm so leaving." She groaned out. The clock had already passed twelve thirty, and she had school in the morning.

"That won't be necessary." Nightwing answered. "They're here."

"_What?"_ she sat up quickly and followed his pointed finger, spotting a group of, Morgan quickly estimated, eight men, maybe ten, approaching an old and rusty-looking thing of a boat. Three of the men entered the boat and, a minute later, emerged, two of them lugging a heavy-looking wooden crate between them. "But I thought we were waiting for the _boat_ to arrive." She pointed out.

"It must've docked earlier today and then they've waited for the cover of night to unload their shipment."

"But how can you be sure that's them?" Morgan asked skeptically. She'd rather not beat up a bunch of guys and then afterwards find out they were just innocent dock-workers unloading a shipment of rubber ducks or something.

He settled a large hand on top of her head and redirected it, pointing with his other hand.

Morgan spotted a middle aged, rich-looking man in a tailored suit stepping out of an expensive vehicle, two bodyguards with semi automatics flanking him. "Oh."

"I grew up in Gotham." Nightwing reminded her. "I know what a drug trade looks like."

"So, boss," Morgan followed Nightwing's lead and crouched down lower so she was mostly hidden behind the railing. "What's the plan?"

Their faces were close as their hid behind the banister, their conversation whispered. "With the three newly arrived men, there's eleven of them. At least two of them have weapons. They need to be dealt with first. I'll take them out and then you can come down."

"And then?"

"And then we simply 'apprehend' the rest of them and wait for the police to collect."

"Oh," Morgan drew in a breath to fake confidence. "Sounds simple."

"Ready?" Nightwing asked.

"What?" Morgan's eyes widened in surprise and slight panic. "No!"

"Go!" Nightwing commanded before launching himself over the railing. Morgan scrambled to her knees and looked over the roof just in time to see him land on the shoulders of the first bodyguard, using his weight and momentum to drive him into the ground. Nightwing wrenched the gun from his hand and the guy gave a shout of pain when something in his finger snapped as it got stuck in the trigger hole briefly. Gaining the attention of every goon down there, Nightwing threw the gun straight into the face of the other armed bodyguard, breaking his nose. After Morgan watched him kick both rifles away, one of them falling into the water beneath them, she knew she was supposed to join the fight now.

"Okay, Morgan you can do this." She gave herself a brief pep-talk before she bound four steps back and ran for the edge, pushing herself off of the roof as hard as she could to leap as far as possible. Her body cast a shadow in the light of the lit lamppost and several of the goons beneath her looked up to locate the source, fearing that the Batman had branched out to Blüdhaven. When she was in mid-air, she spread her wings and glided down, boots first, kicking one of the men – a tall, buzz cut blonde with crooked teeth – square in his face, sending him to the asphalt beneath them immediately.

His head hit the ground with a resounding _crack _and Morgan knew she wouldn't have to worry about him for some time.

Not wasting a moment, she looked up, an intimidating glare on her face, and located her next target. With a beat of her wings she launched herself at the nearest man, gaining enough height to kick him in the side of his dark, bald head. He fell like a stone to the ground beneath them, unconscious.

Half of the men had broken off the main group to engage her mentor, leaving Morgan facing down three more guys.

She wanted to know how Nightwing was doing, but one thing he'd drilled into her from the beginning was to keep her attention focused on the task at hand when she was in danger. If she wasted seconds on locating him, she'd put herself in danger of being brought down by their opponents.

So, telling herself that Nightwing was obviously doing fine because he was, well, _Nightwing_, she stood to her full height, spreading her wings out to appear bigger, making up for her short stature.

"Who's this?" The shortest one asked the guy in front of him. "Some female Nightwing?"

_Female Nightwing?_ Morgan briefly wondered internally. She didn't offer the statement much thought, as the thug closest to her squared his broad shoulders and growled menacingly at her, the scar on his cheek creating an ugly line on his face as he did. "However she is," he declared, cracking his knuckles. "She's going down now."

He ran for her, which was his first mistake. Nightwing had long since taught her how to engage someone who charged at her, how to use their speed and force against them.

So, though he was several times her own body mass, Morgan sank into a crouch as he approached and grabbed hold of the back of his knees. Using her powers to strengthen her movement, she stood up quickly and flipped him over her shoulder. He crashed, back first, into the asphalt beneath them with a pained grunt, completely winded.

The short encounter had unfortunately given the two others time to pull themselves together and before Morgan had managed to gain her footing, she found her arms locked behind her in a strong grip.

The other guy placed himself in front of her, his tattooed face morphed into an ugly grin as he clenched his hand and, before Morgan could even anticipate the blow, punched her square in the jaw. Pain exploded in her jaw and she saw stars as she felt her lip split and dribble blood down her chin. Her body sagged slightly in the other man's tight grip. Her mind fogged over with the pain for a few seconds.

Behind her, she vaguely registered the sound of fists connecting with flesh and the wake part of her muddled brain knew that it was Nightwing fighting his own opponents.

"Hah!" The guy who had hit her scoffed scornfully. "Doesn't have much fight in her after all, does she?"

His mocking words triggered something in her and the fog cleared, her steely resolve returning full-force.

"I'm gonna break your ugly mug for that." She growled, spitting out blood to clear her mouth. Waiting for him to come back for a second go, she kicked off the ground, using the tight grip on her arms to hoist herself up, and landed her booted feet on his chest, pushing him back with enough force to make him fall on his ass. She squirmed in the other guy's grip, managing to get one hand free, which she promptly used to elbow him in the gut.

Morgan looked around for something she could use her powers on to send into the face of her captor and spotted, a few meters down the dock, by the building she and Nightwing had previously been on, a few loose bricks that had fallen from the wall and settled in a small pile. Focusing on the closest brick, she spread her fingers out as wide as they'd go, watching the red square twitch in her mental hold before she threw her arm backwards, watching with satisfaction as the brick took off the ground and flew behind her and into the face of the man holding her.

He let out a howl of pain as the brick undoubtedly crushed his nose beyond saving, and immediately dropped his grip on her other arm.

Taking a few long strides back she beat her wings forcefully and left the ground, hovering in the air above anyone's reach to properly assess the situation.

Casting a quickly look at Nightwing she saw him leaving behind six thugs in various stages of unconsciousness to hunt down the suited man who was obviously the leader behind the whole operation. He'd fled the moment the two teenagers had showed up but he was anything but agile and superhero was sure to catch up to him soon. She watched for a moment longer to see Nightwing duck behind a crate as the man fired a gun at him, and then she turned her attention back towards the goons below her, knowing that the sooner she finished them off, the sooner she could join her mentor.

The guy she'd flung over her shoulder had finally caught his breath again and was on his feet, scowling up at her with the one who'd punched her.

Morgan decided that dealing with them from a distance was probably wisest, so she used her powers to simply push the two men into the harbor behind them, their large bodies making a loud splash as they hit the frigid January water.

She nimbly landed on the ground after that, noting that the guy she'd landed on at first and the one she'd kicked in the temple were still out of it, and the one with the crushed nose was hunched over on the ground, emitting pained sounds as he held a hand up to his swollen, crooked and bleeding nose.

They'd stay where she left them long enough for the police to arrive. She knew Nightwing had contacted them right before he engaged the two armed bodyguards and that they'd be here any minute.

Assured that the men lying at her feet would get what was coming to them, she turned and ran after her mentor to see how he was doing.

Her jaw was still smarting but she willed herself to ignore the pain. Turning a corner, she almost ran into Nightwing. In his left hand he was dragging the unconscious boss behind him, obviously already having dealt with him.

He paused in his steps and studied her face briefly. "You alright?" He questioned, a gloved hand reaching for her split lip. Seeming to realize his own actions, he quickly stopped his movement and brought the hand back down.

"Fine." She winched when talking made her split lip and bruised jaw complain. "One of them got a hit in, that's all." She wiped at her chin with her cold, gloveless hands, surprised with how much blood she found on her hand afterwards. "It'll stop bleeding in a moment."

She must've looked a sight with the blood trickling down her chin and most probably staining her teeth red if the metallic taste in her mouth was anything to go by.

"I could use some water to get rid of this uncomfortable taste though." She admitted.

"I'll buy you a coke when this is done."

They rounded the corner and approached the defeated men. Nightwing seemed to internally do a headcount and frowned. "There's two missing." He observed.

"I threw them in the harbor." Morgan clarified. "I'll pull them out."

She marched towards the edge of the dock and found the two men, drenched and shivering, flailing around to stay afloat in the icy water. Focusing on the first one, she made the same motion with her hand as she had with the brick and then threw her arm backwards, sending him one soaring out of the water and in an arch above her head, landing with a _thud_ behind her on the hard sidewalk.

She repeated the movement on the other guy – twice because her mental hold slipped on the first try –and he landed on top of the first one, eliciting a groan from both of them.

Sirens interrupted the relative silence on the docks and a moment later, police cars turned the corner, almost blinding Morgan with their flashing blue and red lights.

She kept to the background as Nightwing briefly spoke with the highest ranking officer at the scene, watching as seven cops quickly handcuffed the eleven men and crammed them into their police cars.

Once all the men were secured, she stepped closer to Nightwing and the officer, gaining the elder man's attention. He cast a quick look at her and returned to his conversation with Nightwing before visibly doing a double take and snapping his eyes back up at her, tracing her wings with his brown orbs.

Morgan's first instinct was to feel uncomfortable at someone ogling her wings so obviously, but instead she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, reminding herself that her wings were an important part of her ability to perform admirably as a superhero. They were not something to hide away. When she was in costume, they were to be proudly displayed.

"She a female Nightwing?" He asked Nightwing, jerking a nod in Morgan's direction. "Nightwingstress?" he grinned at his own joke though neither Morgan nor Nightwing found it particularly funny.

Morgan was about to ask why everybody _kept calling her that_ when Nightwing interrupted.

"No. She's a hero in training." Was Nightwing's no-nonsense response.

"Well we've got to mention her in our report." The officer reminded him. "What's your alias?" He finally spoke to Morgan instead of directing all of his questions at Nightwing like she wasn't even there.

"Uh." Morgan realized for the first time that she didn't actually have a superhero name.

"That's classified at the current time." Nightwing quickly covered for her. "We'll let you know when you need to know."

The officer sighed and shrugged "Alright."

He turned his attention towards his busy officers. "Daniels!" He barked, and a young, red haired policeman looked up at his chief. "How far are we?"

"All criminals and drugs have been apprehended, sir." He responded, voice breaking once, betraying his youth.

"Thank you for your help Nightwing. We'll take care of the rest."

The officer nodded at Morgan and she returned the nod with a small smile. The officer climbed into his police car and Morgan and Nightwing was left behind, the docks growing darker as soon as the blinking police sirens disappeared.

Morgan wiped at her mouth again, pleased to see that the bleeding had already stopped.

"It's one AM." Nightwing spoke up suddenly. "Let's get back. You've got school tomorrow."

She wanted to remind him that so did he, but instead she shrugged and followed after her mentor.

"We totally need to come up with a name for me, by the way." Morgan pondered once they were back onto the roof. Nightwing fired his grapple gun at the next building and propelled himself off of the building, Morgan flying right on his heels. By now it was no problem for her to fly through the city in pursuit of her mentor without exhausting her wings in a few minutes. They'd grown much stronger and Morgan found her appreciation for them growing day by day.

"We do. You'll need a public name if you want to keep your identity a secret. I can't keep calling you Morgan."

"All the good wing names are taken, though." She quipped once they'd landed on the next building. Morgan spotted a McDonalds on the street below them. "You promised me a coke." She reminded him and pointed at the restaurant. It was still open despite the late hour.

"What, do you want me to march right into McDonalds and buy you a drink, in full costume?"

"Uh, duh?"

Nightwing sighed exasperatedly.

Ten minutes later the teenager landed back on top of the roof of the apartment building he'd left Morgan on, carrying not only her coke but also one for him and two hamburgers with fries. He'd climbed the building using only one hand, _without_ spilling a single drop from either of their drinks.

They settled down against the old out-of-use chimney, unwrapping their respective burgers. Morgan stuffed four fries in her mouth and groaned with pleasure. "I haven't had fries in forever." She mumbled and ate another two.

"So, names." Morgan decided after sipping coke noisily through her straw. She smirked mischievously. "What about Captain Morgan?" she joked.

"Absolutely not." Nightwing quickly debunked her suggestion.

"Hey, rumor has it my dad totally chose my name because his favorite drink was Captain Morgan, how fitting wouldn't it be to use it as my superhero name?"

"I'm _not_ letting you name yourself after a brand of rum."

"Fine." Morgan pouted. "But all the good bird names are taken! Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Nightwing.." she listed off on her fingers.

"Who says it _has_ to be a bird name?" Nightwing pointed out before taking a bite out of his burger.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I'm kind of working a bird theme here, aren't I?"

"True." Nightwing relented. Morgan pushed herself off of the chimney and turned so she was facing the dark-haired teenager leaning against it, her legs crossed in front of her. "What about 'The Pigeon'?" She suggested dramatically, motioning her hand in front of her face like she was tracing invisible floating letters that read the ridiculous name.

Nightwing coughed once. "No. Be serious."

"The Robin." She smirked, which prompted a small crooked smile from her mentor.

"Already taken." He reminded her.

"Then I'm out of ideas." She gave up and took a large bite out of her burger instead.

"What about.." Nightwing hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "Sparrow?"

"Sparrows are brown, though." Morgan pointed out before sipping on her coke, ignoring the way her cut stung when the liquid touched it. "My wings are grey."

"Well, I'm pretty sure no one's going to demand you change your name to something more ornithologically correct."

Morgan considered it for a moment. "The Sparrow.." she mused. "It's not that bad. I could live with it."

"Sparrow for short." Nightwing decided.

"Sure, of course." Morgan agreed. "It's decided, then. Henceforth, I shall be known as _Sparrow_, _Terror of the Night." _

She was pretty sure Nightwing was rolling his eyes at her from behind that mask of his.

Their fast food was soon polished off and Nightwing stood up. "We need to get back." He informed her before jumping off the building and using his grapple hook to hoist himself onto the next one. He looked like Tarzan when he did that, Morgan decided.

"You did pretty good, by the way." Nightwing admitted when Morgan had caught up to him. "Taking down those four guys by yourself? Pretty well done."

"Well I have the advantage of a superpower. And a knowledgeable teacher."

* * *

><p>1: "Oh god!"<p>

Idk about you, but I think they're adorable idiots.

And look at that! Many of you guys has been excited for her superhero name, and now you got it.

To be honest, I was kinda hesitant about even giving her one when I first started writing this story because a superhero name you aren't used to will always sound lame in the beginning.

Think about it. Batman? Superman? Wonder Woman? We don't think they sound lame because we're used to them, but if you sit down and _really_ think about those names? Yeah, they're kinda silly.

So I hope none of you thinks the name sucks!

I'd love some feedback if any of you have a better idea for her name.

Fun fact: I literally researched birds with grey feathers, but they all had weird names, so I settled for a sparrow. Also, as I wrote 'Chapter fifteen' I had to google how to even spell fifteen because I couldn't for the life of me see if I'd written it correctly. I'm trash.


	16. Wolf in Sheep Clothing

Chapter Sixteen

Wolf in Sheep Clothing

Once they'd gotten home and Morgan had stepped into her bathroom to take a brief shower, she stopped in front of the mirror to access the damage done to her face. Her cut has stopped bleeding, but it was still swollen and red, a nasty thing cutting down the middle of her lower lip. Her left cheek and jaw had already blossomed into a colorful purple, which she knew would fade into a rainbow of blue, green and yellow tones with a few days' time.

"Esmeralda's gonna kill me." She muttered when she studied her wrecked face and her extremely chipped and ruined nail polish. The other girl had gushed about how she was going to make Morgan a real catch this Friday and now Morgan looked like she'd fallen down a flight of stairs.

_Maybe this'll scare Darren off._ Morgan smirked at the thought.

She was in pretty high spirits. The night had gone great and she'd found herself actually enjoying Nightwing's company. They'd totally gotten along and almost, dare she say it, bonded?

He'd even complimented her for how she dealt with those goons.

Morgan took a step back to study her full stature. Untying her hair and starting to untangle it from its braid, she remembered how she'd been called 'female Nightwing' twice that night and her brow furrowed in silent confusion.

She looked at her reflection and immediately realized why.

Her costume..

The darkly colored suit with the lighter wing-formation on the chest was an almost exact replica of Nightwing's own costume, sans the color scheme.

Her mouth dropped open in horrified realization and her hands stilled their work on her hair.

Thinking back, Morgan clearly remembered Nightwing suggesting the wings on her chest. He'd also been the one to suggest using dark colors for camouflage.

He'd done it on purpose, the little shit. He'd purposefully manipulated her into designing a suit that made her look like a feminine, Nightwing knock-off.

She immediately felt her former dislike or her mentor flare up again, ignoring how satisfied with the patrol she'd been a moment before. How could she not have noticed before?

Thinking even further back, she remembered Robin's reaction to seeing her in costume for the first time. He'd started to say something about her looking like – and then Nightwing had stopped him.

Letting out a frustrated and slightly embarrassed sigh, she pushed the thought away and stored it for later. She'd ask him about at some other time.

Removing the tight suit from her body, Morgan vowed to confront him about it soon and stepped into the shower.

* * *

><p>January 19th<p>

Morgan dropped her heavy schoolbag with a _thud_ and collapsed face-first – making sure to not land on her bruised jaw – onto her bed, groaning slightly to herself.

Her day had not gone particularly smoothly and she was utterly exhausted. And it was a far cry from over yet, she realized with a mournful noise.

Due to their late-night patrol the day before, Morgan hadn't gone to bed before two AM. She'd managed to cram in four and a half hours of sleep before she had to get up at six thirty to get to school. Tuesday was the worst day of her week because she had classes non-stop from eight to three, all her least favorite subjects.

And her lunch break had been spent dodging questions from her two friends.

When Esmeralda had seen her bruised face, she'd practically shrieked in horror and demanded to know what had happened. Then she'd seen Morgan's nails, polish chipped and utterly ruined, and launched into a stern lecture on taking care of yourself and your body.

Rachel had sat silently on her phone through the whole thing, neither saving Morgan nor helping Esmeralda.

Then at the end of her lecture, Esmeralda had taken pity on Morgan and had expertly covered the bruise on her jaw with foundation.

Morgan had gone through the rest of her day feeling itchy and confined, not at all used to wearing that much makeup.

And then, of course, _Darren _of all people had showed up and offered to walk her home, resulting in a mortifyingly awkward scene in which she attempted to decline his very persistent request. Obviously, she couldn't let him walk her to the Zeta tube she used to beam home to the Cave. That would just raise horrible questions she'd rather like to avoid answering.

She'd been lucky. One of his friends had called out to him and as soon as he turned his back on her, Morgan had booted it out of there and run most of the way to the nearest Zeta tube.

Morgan knew that being a superhero meant having to constantly lie to a large portion of the people in her life. And yet, while she knew it should've bothered her, it didn't really when it was just people like her school friends.

She'd arrived at the Cave sweaty, out of breath and utterly exhausted.

And now she'd collapsed on her bed, determined to get in a few hours of sleep before Nightwing came and sparred with her. A small voice in the back of her head reminded her that skipping dinner was a bad idea as she'd promised to eat properly but she reasoned that skipping once wouldn't be the end of the world.

Not moving from the kind of uncomfortable position on her bed, Morgan felt her eyes slip shut as she left the waking world.

"Anyone seen Morgan?" Nightwing walked into to the kitchen and was met with the sight of the Cave's other five residents eating dinner, but no blonde. Each of them denied, shrugging. Connor looked up and seemed to scan the room but Nightwing knew he was using his x-ray vision to locate the girl.

"She's in her room." He answered after a short while. "I think she's asleep."

Nightwing nodded. He stood in the doorway, contemplating his next course of action. Should he let her sleep? She'd been out pretty late last night and was bound to be tired. Or should he wake her up and proceed with their usual sparring?

"If she wakes up.." He paused, reaching a decision. "Tell her to go through her usual solo-training. I won't be there to spar with her tonight."

"Roger that." Garfield stuffed a potato in his mouth, muffling his words.

"And make sure she _eats_." Nightwing sternly added.

He turned on his heel afterwards and left the way he'd come. He knew she'd have to get used to being in a constant state of slight sleep deprivation, but he'd let her slack on training just this once. He'd seen her fight yesterday and had to admit she'd gotten better much quicker than he'd expected. She couldn't hold her own against him at all yet, obviously, but she'd dealt with those five men pretty effectively.

Missing training just this once wouldn't kill anyone.

With that thought in mind, he left the Cave, arriving in Gotham a moment later via Zeta tube.

Since Morgan had first joined on the Team, Nightwing had given his former mentor weekly updates on her. He knew Batman hadn't trusted her much in the beginning – neither had Nightwing for that matter – but after Nightwing had discovered her hidden power and she'd stopped acting like she was hiding something, his trust in her had greatly improved, which had influenced Batman's opinion.

He was on his way for one such update, though he secretly thought it was unnecessary by now. The girl was developing into a fine addition to the Team and the others trusted her fully, which was good enough for him for now.

Batman, however, was nothing if not distrustful and Nightwing knew the updates were mainly for his adoptive father's peace of mind than anything else.

* * *

><p>Dick had to admit, he was the kind of person that would meddle. He was a superhero <em>and<em> a detective, it was part of the job. But he also liked to think that he knew when to stay out of people's business. He liked to think that he could draw the line between when his meddling was necessary or not.

For example: Someone on his team having a dispute? Meddle. Someone on his team having a dispute – Who also happens to be in a relationship? _Don't_ meddle.

(He'd learned that the rough way back when Connor and M'gann had started having couple trouble.)

So, he totally knew when to stay out of stuff that didn't need his interference.

Which was why he really _hated_ when he found himself in a situation where he wasn't sure if he should be meddling or not. He hated when he couldn't tell if his meddling would do more damage than good.

So, when he spotted that 'Missing' poster of Morgan on a lamppost in the poorer parts of Gotham, he'd stopped, looked at it, and proceeded to curse inwardly for at least ten seconds straight.

_Of all the lampposts on all of Gotham, I happen to walk by this one. _

The poster claimed that Morgan had gone missing on the eighteenth of November and that her mother was looking for her. It stated a few things about Morgan, like her height, age and looks. The mothers phone number was hanging in small strips at the bottom of the paper and, after a moments deliberation, Dick plucked one of the offered strips off, pocketing it in his jeans.

He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes as he let out a weary sigh, wondering why _his_ life always had to be so unbearably complicated. Why _he_ always had to be faced with impossible choices.

Morgan's mother was looking for her.

And now, Dick knew, he was suddenly faced with a new and unexpected responsibility in regards to his trainee. And he didn't need any more of those. He already regretted not telling her about her dad. He didn't want to keep this from her too.

With knowledge came responsibility and all that.

His first instinct was of course to tell her as soon as possible, but as leader of his team, and her mentor, he needed to take a step back and properly think the situation through.

He needed to think about what was best for the Team.

But first and foremost, he needed to think about what was best for Morgan.

He knew she missed her mother. He knew she was torn up about the way they'd parted. But would telling her really be for the best? What if it ended badly? What if Morgan had already made peace with never seeing her mother again and this would only rip open an old wound? What if Morgan and her mother met again, only for her mother to say that she didn't want to have anything to do with Morgan? What if she disapproved of Morgan's new life and it would make Morgan doubt the path she was on?

That could literally endanger the girl. If she became so insecure about the hero gig being the right thing for her that she messed up on a mission and got herself, or someone else, killed.

Dick contemplated telling Batman and asking for his advice, but he decided against it. This was something he would deal with on his own.

He'd only left the cave half an hour ago and had decided to go for a walk in Gotham before heading for a Zeta tube to take him home to Blüdhaven, when he'd stumbled upon the poster.

Dick squared his shoulders and marched on, his mind no longer on homework and dinner, but rather what he should do about Morgan's predicament.

Once he'd taken the tube and arrived in Blüdhaven, he had reached a decision. He'd tell her about her mother searching for her, but not yet. First, he'd test the waters. He would attempt to approach the subject of her mother and see how Morgan reacted. Gauge if telling Morgan about her mother's search would benefit Morgan in any way.

Satisfied with this decision, Dick nodded absentmindedly to himself as he unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside.

Of course, now he just needed to figure out how he'd manage to touch upon the subject of Morgan's mother without making her clam up like an oyster, like she tended to do every time he tried to strike a conversation about anything even remotely personal.

The only times he'd managed to get anything personal out of her was when she initiated the conversation herself, like when she'd told him about meeting the homeless man outside the university.

He'd just have to create a quiet moment like they'd had on that rooftop last night.

Now that Nightwing thought about it, he had a lot of unanswered questions about the girl that he was currently mentoring. Some that she couldn't answer herself and some she could.

Dick realized it was high time he actually spent some time getting to know the girl he was training.

Vowing to work on something after the winter ball – which he had to go to a tuxedo fitting for tomorrow, _uuugh.._ – Dick put Morgan from his mind and focused on his homework instead.

* * *

><p>January 22nd<p>

Morgan found herself being pushed into a swivel chair in front of a large, white and pink vanity. The vanity was old fashioned and looked expensive, the table filled to the brim with makeup of every sort. Eyeliners, mascaras, an ocean of eyeshadow, lipstick, foundations and some things that Morgan didn't even recognize cluttered up the space.

Rachel threw a blanket over the three-sectioned mirror as Esmeralda turned Morgan around in her chair so the other girl could properly access her face.

"You'll be so beautiful when we're done!" She gushed.

Behind her, Morgan felt Rachel tug at her large mane and she jumped in her seat, looking behind her at the darker girl. "What are you doing?"

"Girl," Rachel said with an attitude. "You agreed to let us fix you up exactly as we wanted with no complaints. I'm going to do your hair."

Morgan scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"I used to have curls too, you know, before I got my dreadlocks." Rachel pointed out confidently. "Even smaller than yours. I'm of African descend after all. I know how to deal with curly hair."

"Which is why we both agreed that Rachel would do your hair and _I'd_ get to play with the makeup." Esmeralda explained.

"Why'd you cover the mirror?" Morgan asked. She was going to keep asking as many questions as she could to delay her inevitable fate.

The girls had already redone her nails.

They had been camped out in Esmeralda's huge room since the afternoon the day before. After school on Thursday, they'd gone dress shopping. Morgan had found that she'd had a surprisingly good time with the two girls. Esmeralda and Rachel had bought their own dresses weeks ago so all of their energy was focused on getting something fitting for Morgan.

They'd dragged her from one highly expensive shop to the next, Morgan acting their personal dress up doll. Morgan had secretly rued the moment they found a dress they decided was 'the one' because she couldn't afford buying it. Obviously, she still had the credit card she'd gotten from Nightwing, but she didn't know how much money was on it and, besides, she wasn't sure shopping for expensive dresses with it was what Batman had had in mind. She barely used the card at all, she wasn't about to spend two thousand dollars on a dress with it.

So, when they'd entered their fifth shop and the clerk had produced a long, silky, dark blue dress with off-shoulder sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that made her small boobs look much more impressive, Morgan just about panicked.

The dress looked absolutely beautiful on her, hugging her small upper body tightly and flaring out slightly over her hips, falling to her ankles in a shower of deliciously soft, midnight blue.

She hadn't expected to ever be into this sort of thing, but Morgan found herself falling in love with the dress the moment she saw herself wearing it in the mirror. The back was even low-dipped, making it easy for her to put it on without damaging her wings or the dress in the process. The off-shoulder sleeves charmingly settled around her upper arms, her shoulders and arms otherwise bare. Somehow, the dress managed to stay up despite her unimpressive bust. Usually she'd never go for a dress that didn't have sleeves to hold it up but it fit like a glove and Morgan wasn't afraid it'd slip if she wore it.

The two girls impatiently waiting for her to put it on started cheering happily when she stepped out of the dressing room, Esmeralda even squealing in delight. "It's perfect!"

Morgan smiled sadly because she agreed wholeheartedly. Now that she'd tried it on, she couldn't even imagine wearing another dress for the winter ball.

She'd have to, though. The dress was too expensive.

"Go take it off quickly so we can buy it!" Rachel ordered, already starting to push Morgan back into the changing room.

Morgan stood firm, needing to explain her predicament before it was too late. "Guys, it's a really pretty dress, but I can't afford." She admitted. "Scholarship student, remember?"

Esmeralda smiled even wider. "Don't worry about it. Rachel and I already agreed that if we found the perfect dress, we'd buy it for you. We know you haven't got a lot of money and we want to give it to you as a gift."

Morgan found herself unexpectedly touched. A small part of her screamed that it was charity and she _wasn't_ their charity subject, but an even bigger part knew that it was because they were her friends and they wanted to do something nice. She smiled slightly at the two girls. "Thank you."

And now, because they'd bought her that perfect dress, Morgan found herself unable to say no when they said they wanted to do her hair and makeup. She could tell Esmeralda was really excited to do it and Morgan didn't want to disappoint her. It was, however small a thing, a way for her to return the favor.

Because, seriously, how could she go 'You can buy me the fancy and expensive dress but I don't want you to do my makeup even though you really want to'? That was just unfair.

She figured Esmeralda kind of considered Morgan her personal Barbie doll, which Morgan did find kind of annoying, but she let her. Just this once. And she would admit that she was kind of curious what she'd look like once Esmeralda was done.

A stinging pain suddenly erupted near her left eyebrow and Morgan jumped in her seat. She'd been told to close her eyes for now so she had no idea what was going on. "Ow!" she exclaimed accusingly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm plucking your eyebrows. Haven't you done that before?" Esmeralda sounded genuinely surprised.

_Well, no, you guys are the first girly friends I've had since I was thirteen and I have no idea how to do any of these things_, "Of course I have, I was just caught off guard."

Morgan bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep from making any more noise as Esmeralda kept going at it.

Behind her, she could feel Rachel drag something through her hair. "Is that a brush?" She inquired. "Are you actually attempting to brush my hair? You know it'll frizz horribly, right? Won't look pretty at all."

"Shush." Rachel cut her off. "I know what I'm doing."

"Morgan, relax." Esmeralda encouraged. "We _both_ know what we're doing. Trust me, by the end of tonight, Darren won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

Morgan rolled her eyes behind her closed lids. The _last_ thing she wanted was for Darren to undress her with his eyes all night, if she was to believe Nightwing's words of warning.

"_Or,_" Morgan could literally _hear_ the smirk in Rachel voice. "Dick Grayson won't be able to either, if you'd prefer that."

"I swear to god, Rachel." Morgan quickly growled out. "I _do not_ have a crush on Dick Grayson."

Just because she'd gone up to the boy and shouted at him on her first day, it apparently meant instant attraction. She didn't get it.

Esmeralda giggled. "It's okay, Morgan!" she soothed her. "Practically everyone in our year has been there."

"Hell, I'm there still." Rachel admitted. "And I believe Esmeralda is too."

"Mhmm." Esmeralda agreed. She'd started applying eye shadow to Morgan's lids by now.

The two girls had finished their own hair and makeup before turning their attention to Morgan, claiming they wanted to make sure they had lots of time to fix her up.

Morgan was secretly glad. She'd rather not have to sit and be afraid to breathe for fear of ruining her lipstick or hair or something while the others got ready.

Morgan wasn't sure how much time had passed when Esmeralda pulled back and declared that she was done. "You look so pretty!" She squealed. Morgan was damn curious to see what she looked like but she wasn't allowed to look in the mirror until Rachel had finished her hair.

Her eyelids felt thicker with the eye shadow resting on them, her lips unused to the sensation of lip gloss. Esmeralda had claimed she had 'naturally red lips' and wouldn't need any lipstick, only a coat of gloss to make them shine. The thin coat of blush on her cheekbones felt foreign too and Morgan had to constantly remind herself to not touch her face and accidentally smear it.

Since Rachel had started working on her hair, Morgan had been sitting with her heart lodged in her throat in paranoia. What if Rachel accidentally brushed against her wings and felt them?

She'd sat with her wings folded as tightly to her back as possible, praying that Rachel wouldn't discover them. Morgan was wearing the charmed pendant that hid her wings, but Nightwing had warned her that just because they were invisible didn't mean they weren't there. Rachel discovering them was still a risk.

Once, Morgan could feel her hand briefly brush against her right wing, but the other girl didn't react at all, so she assumed she hadn't registered it.

"Aaaand done!" Rachel announced proudly and took a step back to study her handiwork.

"Ready?" Esmeralda cheered excitedly, grabbing hold of the blanket covering the mirror with one hand.

Morgan nodded soundlessly.

The cloth was removed in one quick, swooshing motion and Morgan was finally allowed to see herself.

The bruise on her cheek had been covered with foundation and her cheeks were rosy, cheekbones more pronounced than usual. The mascara and eye shadow made her eyes seem larger, the grey irises intense.

It was unusual and didn't feel quite like her, but Morgan almost liked the look. She looked like she actually fit in at the school. Morgan was sure M'gann would describe her as looking 'glamorous'.

Morgan's attention wasn't on her makeup for long, though, as her hair quickly drew her eyes.

Instead of her usual big, unruly mane, Rachel had _straightened_ it completely. Morgan almost dropped her mouth in shock and she stood up so she could eye her hair as it spilled over her shoulders and down her back in a smooth line. It was longer than Morgan had expected it to be, having never seen it straightened before. It reached her lower back. She watched it fall smoothly around her wings and wondered how it fell in the eyes of the two girls that couldn't see her wings.

Her entire look was completely transformed and it made Morgan uncomfortable. As a hero, her wings were her trademark. They were what made her noticeable. As a normal human, her hair was her trademark. And they'd changed that.

"Aw, look Esmi." Rachel remarked. "She's speechless."

"Go put on your dress!" Esmeralda commanded. "Go, go, go!"

The two other girls grabbed their own dresses, intending to put them on once Morgan finished up.

Morgan grabbed the bag with her dress and shoes in them and stepped into Esmeralda's bathroom.

"We'll pick out jewelry for you afterwards!" Esmeralda shouted after her as the door slid shut behind Morgan.

_Oh no_. Morgan stopped in her tracks after locking the door.

There was no way Esmeralda would let Morgan wear her orange pendant with the dress.

But if she didn't wear it, her wings would be visible for the entire world to see.

Morgan's mind started racing as she mechanically pulled the dress out and started shedding her clothes. She contemplating locking herself in the bathroom and simply refusing to go to the ball altogether.

Then she realized that that would be an incredibly stupid solution to her problems.

She took the pendant off and immediately felt the familiar hum in her wings as the charm disappeared. Slipping on her dress, Morgan tried to see if she could somehow hide the pendant in her cleavage or something. No such luck.

She was prepared for a full-blown round of panic when another idea entered her mind. Morgan had to wear the pendant for the charm to work, but did it _have_ to be worn around her neck specifically?

She undid the clasp and pushed the material of her dress up, wrapping the black cord around her knee twice before redoing the clasp.

The moment the small lock clicked into place, Morgan felt the hum in her wings again and she knew her desperate plan had worked. Sending a silent thanks to her mentor for the brilliant design, she made a mental note to thank him properly if she saw him tonight.

As she readjusted her dress, she felt the pendant slipping down so she unclasped it and moved it up further, the necklace now tightly hugging her thigh. It wouldn't escape this time, but Morgan worried that it would get pretty uncomfortable with time.

As if her poor feet wouldn't be uncomfortable enough as it was, in those high heels.

Morgan had spent hours walking around in them, first at the Cave and then later in Esmeralda's room. The two girls had helped her grasp the proper technique and at the end of the night, Esmeralda had declared that she looked like she'd never walked in anything else.

She was faking the confidence epically, but it was only for one night so she'd have to make do.

She walked out of the bathroom in her dress, accepted the compliments Esmeralda threw at her while Rachel changed, and half an hour later, the three girls were ready to go.

Esmeralda's dad had rented a limousine for the three girls – which Morgan unintentionally spilled a glass of coke in, the expensive rug ruined.

While it hadn't been on purpose, she couldn't bring herself to care.

She might've looked like a rich kid at the given time, but Morgan hadn't forgotten the image of that old homeless man. She knew that she could play at belonging at Gotham University, but she would never _really_ belong. And the fact that the first thing she did when in the expensive car was accidentally ruin some of it, only made this point even more glaringly obvious.

She looked like a rich kid, yes, but that was more of a wolf in sheep's clothing than anything else.

* * *

><p>So not a lot happened in this chapter - except for the beginning of the mommy stuff - but don't worry, the next chapter is gonna be great! It's one of my personal favourites, tbh. The last chapter and then the next chapter are my best so far, in my own opinion.<p>

Eh, I suppose it's for the readers to judge.

Fun fact: I obsess so much over dates in this story. Compared to Guidelines where I just sort of went 'Eh, we're somewhere between march and may - i think', the dates in this story are all planned to a tee. Like, I constantly use the calendar on my computer to make sure that I've got the date and the specific day right. So when I go 'this tuesday, the 1st' or something like that, I went and checked to make sure that the 1st is, in fact, a tuesday. It's probably a waste of time, but I still think it's important.


	17. One Heck of a Party

Chapter Seventeen

One Heck of a Party

Dick fidgeted in his tuxedo as Alfred finished tying the bow-tie properly. Dick, just as Bruce, was absolutely hopeless at doing this himself and Alfred didn't even need to be asked to come and do it for him every time Dick had to dress up.

"All done, Master Dick." Alfred concluded and took a step back.

Dick gave him a tense smile and a jerky nod before leaving his room and heading for the kitchen. He needed to find Tim.

Tim was in the living room, pouring over an advanced biology textbook, scribbling furiously in his notebook.

"Test tomorrow?" Dick asked him casually as he strode into the room. Tim looked up and spotted his older brother, smirking at the suit. "Going on a date?"

"If only." Dick rolled his eyes. "Winter ball." He shortly explained.

"Ah." Tim sat back in his chair and set his pencil on the table. "Yeah, I've got a test tomorrow. My biology teacher decided to spring the news on us at the last possible moment. I've been studying all day."

"So you're ready for a break?"

Tim narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you want?"

Dick sighed and settled into a chair opposite Tim, taking care to not rumple his suit jacket. "I obviously won't be on call tonight so I need someone to be ready for the League to contact in case the Team is sent on a mission. I was thinking you could do that for me? If anything comes up, you can just give me a call and I'll help out from a distance. Mal's on a date with Karen and I'd hate for him to have to cancel."

Tim considered his request. Then he nodded slowly. "Sure. I think I could do that."

"Thanks, man." Dick stood up, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "If you feel like you're in over your head, just ask Batgirl for help."

"Enjoy the party." Tim quipped at Dick's retreating back, a small smirk teasing his lips.

Dick groaned slightly. "I'll do my absolute best." He answered dryly.

"Morgan gonna be there?" Tim asked casually and Dick stopped in his tracks.

"Yeah." He replied shortly, wondering why that was relevant, before rounding a corner and heading for the Manor's main entrance.

He arrived at the party fifty minutes late, hoping that he'd be too late for the principal's opening speech that way. If he was smart, he'd leave early too so he would miss the present and then her long, heartfelt speech of gratitude.

Once there, he immediately set to work locating his friends – who all had dates on their arms, something Dick didn't (And _chose_ not to thank you very much) – and then his eyes roamed around the room in an attempt to spot Morgan.

He placed himself by the wall to avoid being spotted by too many chatty people and to have a better view of the whole room.

Logically, it shouldn't have been difficult to locate a girl with wings, but because she was shorter than most people in the room, her wings could easily be hidden from his sight.

Instead, he tried to spot her big curly hair, her second give away.

"Yo, Dick." Greeted one of his friends; an Italian guy named Michele. "Who're you looking for?"

"Nobody, Michele." Dick muttered absentmindedly. "Just Darren."

If Darren had found his date already, he'd undoubtedly keep her close to his side for the rest of the evening. Meaning if Dick found Darren, he found Morgan.

"Isn't that him over there?" Michele helpfully offered, pointing behind Dick.

Dick turned around fully and spotted the immaculately clad back of his friend in the middle of sucking up to their chemistry teacher.

Next to him, Dick realized with a start, stood Morgan.

Despite the fact that it was very obviously her – he could see her wings, after all – it took him a moment to fully register it.

Her hair was all wrong, long and smooth, cascading down her back in a decidedly un-Morgan-ish way.

Darren laughed loudly at something their teacher said before excusing himself and offering Morgan his arm.

She accepted it – hesitantly, if the tense line of her shoulders was anything to go by – and he turned them around, finally giving Dick a proper view of his female team mate.

His eyes almost bugged out of his head when he got a good look at her face.

Morgan was, undeniably, absolutely stunning.

And didn't look like Morgan at all, which put him off.

The blond pair approached the table Dick was lurking by and as they hadn't spotted him yet, he took the opportunity to study her briefly. She walked almost gracefully on the same heels he'd seen her stumble around in only two days ago. The dress showed off her entire collarbone and a decent amount of cleavage, hugging her hips and waist attractively. Expensive looking jewelry clung to her wrists, neck and ears.

The entire look was so incredibly unlike Morgan, that the only thing that made Dick sure it even _was_ her was the vaguely pissed of expression on her face, which made him chuckle silently to himself. Despite all the makeup and the fancy clothes, she was still Morgan.

Morgan spotted him and immediately made a grimace, jerking her head in the direction of her date, rolling her eyes. She was unimpressed with her company, it seemed.

_Good_, Dick thought.

"Dick!" Darren greeted, a smug tint to his tone and facial expression. "We thought you'd never show up!"

"We?"

"Well, me and Morgan, of course." Darren explained. "Isn't she a vision?"

He stepped to the side and lightly pushed her forward, making Morgan stumble as she suddenly found herself the subject of both guys attention.

"She's certainly something." Dick responded neutrally, grinning crookedly when Morgan narrowed her eyes at him and rolled her them again.

Darren, clearly not getting the answer he'd been expecting, waved Dick away and started up conversation with Michele instead.

Dick and Morgan both stepped to the side, standing against the wall and watched the room silently for a moment.

"He's been doing that all night." Morgan spoke up first. "Dragging me around, introducing me to people with some cheesy line and then forgotten about me as he talked to them." She crossed her arms in front of her – which pressed her breasts further together, creating an impressive cleavage on the already slightly low-cut dress, which Dick did his damndest to _not_ notice – and sent Darren a reproachful look.

"Well, that's what these parties are really about. They don't just throw them for fun. It's practice for when the students grow up and have to start attending actual upper-class get-togethers. It's all about making connections and honing your social skills." He explained, leaning back against the wall to study the room again.

"It's still annoying." She complained. "I was about ready to spill my drink on his expensive little suit."

"He'd start crying if you did." Dick dryly responded. He looked at her again, eyes betraying him as they travelled lower.

Dick nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed the lack of charmed pendant around her neck. "Where's your necklace?!" He hissed in slight panic, trying to keep his voice low so nobody else could hear. She _had_ to be wearing it, otherwise everybody in here would've noticed her wings by now.

Morgan grimaced. "You don't want to know." She dead-panned, which of course sent Dick's imagination into overdrive as he tried to figure out where _exactly she was keeping the necklace. _

"Now I _really_ want to know." He pointed out.

Morgan scoffed, obviously knowing his line of thought. "Pervert. It's strapped to my thigh."

Well, of course. The only logical place.

"Oh great, here he comes." Morgan breathed and Dick looked up to spot Darren approaching them with a drink in his hand.

"Morgan, babe," – Dick saw her visibly flinch as the nickname – "I was afraid you'd run off."

"Jeg ville ønske jeg havde gjort det."1 She smiled sweetly at him and Dick wished more than anything that he'd pull himself together and learn some basic Danish already so he could understand what she'd said.

His guess was it wasn't anything pleasant.

"Anyway," Darren got back on track, obviously momentarily confused by the strange words she'd spoken. "I got you a drink."

He proudly shoved the drink into her hands and Morgan accepted it with a raised eyebrow.

.. And promptly dropped the glass.

"Whoops." She said, voice flat. Darren looked crestfallen. Dick held in a snicker.

"You'd better get me a new one." She suggested, smile sugary. "I'd like one from that table over there." She pointed at the table that was at the absolute opposite end of the room. It would take him quite some time to maneuver around the big crowd of people and fetch her drink.

Darren paused for a moment, looking like he was about to protest before he sighed and plastered a smile onto his face again. "Of course. Be right back."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Morgan turned to Dick. "He's going to spike my drink and hope I somehow don't notice before I'm too drunk to resist his advances, isn't he?"

Dick sipped at his own glass of punch as he considered her question. "Undoubtedly." He agreed.

Morgan sighed. "This party blows."

"Yup."

"Wanna go fight crime?"

".. Hell yes."

Morgan threw off her heels and gathered them in one hand. She grabbed Dick's hand with the other and dragged him after her, ditching the party without a second thought.

They were outside in the dark, abandoned halls and Morgan headed for the wardrobe section. Here, she dropped his hand and crouched down in front of a large duffle bag. She threw her shoes inside before closing the bag and pulled the strap over her shoulder, standing again. "Give me five minutes; I'll be ready."

"You brought your costume?" Dick asked incredulously as they started walking down the hall again, heading for the roof of the building. There was a terrace up there with a small garden and the fourth years liked to hang out up there during the summer.

"Oh, like you didn't." She said, not a trace of doubt in her voice.

Dick sighed in resignation and pulled off his bow-tie, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt to reveal his Nightwing suit underneath.

"I'm beginning to suspect you sleep in that suit." Morgan quipped.

"I can assure you, I don't." He returned as they kept up their fast paced jog down through the third years' halls, both eager to get away from the school and into the city.

"Speaking of suits.." Morgan began, a displeased furrow on her brow. "I've noticed that mine looks almost exactly like yours. Did you do that on purpose?" She accused.

"I haven't noticed." Nightwing lied. He had, indeed, pushed her towards making a suit resembling his. It had been a mostly subconscious thing and even now, he had no idea why he'd done it. Maybe he just had an inflated ego? Or maybe it was just because he was drawing inspiration from back when he'd designed his own suit, not realizing he was basically repeating the process. "It was never my intention."

Morgan seemed to chew on his words. "I'll pretend I believe you, if only to keep the peace."

They reached the fourth floor and Morgan halted. "We can change in here." She suggested, opening the door to one of the many classrooms on the floor.

Dick soundlessly agreed and stepped in first, closing the door after them.

Turning their backs to each other, the only sound you could hear was the ruffle of clothing being pulled off and zippers being closed.

Dick had already taken his tuxedo off completely, now lying in a small pile by his boot-clad feet, and slipped his gloves and mask on when Morgan's hesitant voice broke the silence.

"Uh, Dick? Or Nightwing? Can I get a little help?"

He turned around and waited for her to elaborate.

Illuminated only by the moonlight, she was standing by a chair and had her right foot propped up on the seat. Her dress had been bunched up so it ended at the very top of her thigh, giving Nightwing a very much full view of her pale, toned leg. On the middle of the length of her thigh, he spotted the pendant strapped around it. It looked uncomfortably tight.

"The lock is stuck." Morgan admitted, sounding frustrated. "And the necklace won't budge. I think it's gotten tangled in a thread from the dress. I can't see what I'm doing because the lock is a blind spot for me."

She sounded extremely mortified and Nightwing knew she wouldn't have asked him if it hadn't been absolutely necessary.

He approached her wordlessly and Morgan looked over her shoulder briefly to confirm that he'd even heard her words. Once she spotted him approaching, she brought her leg down and held up her dress so it ended right below the swell of her butt.

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry, and licked his lower lip as he contemplated the best course of action here.

Crouching down behind her, he immediately knew this had _not_ been the best course of action as his face was now _right next to her butt_. He cleared his throat to rid himself of awkwardness and studied the pendant briefly. The lock had indeed snagged on a loose thread from the dress and the thread had tangled itself into the mechanism, preventing the lock from opening properly.

"There _is_ a thread stuck." He confirmed her suspicion, feeling like the silence was only making things much more awkward. "I'll try to get it loose."

Morgan waited silently and patiently as he brought up his glowed hands and touched the offending lock. Her leg clenched when he touched it as Nightwing pulled at the thread, slowly untangling it. Her wing's fluttered nervously and he got the tip of her right wing in the face. He batted it away and refocused his attention on the locket in front of him.

He managed to get it untangled relatively easy and simply dropped the thread on the ground before he undid the small clasp on the lock, the necklace coming off of her thigh easily. The black chain left behind a red line on her light skin and Morgan immediately dropped the fabric of her dress, turning to face her mentor, looking very red in the face.

He stood up from his previous crouch and handed her the pendant, which she immediately stuffed into the open duffel bag by her side. "I'll be ready in a moment."

"I'll wait outside." Nightwing announced, picking up his abandoned tuxedo and stepping outside quickly.

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Morgan to change clothes, vowing to never bring himself into a situation like that again.

Morgan stepped into the hall a moment later, dressed in her superhero suit – or Sparrow suit, he supposed he could call it now.

She held out a hand for his small bundle of clothing and he handed it to her, watching as she stuffed it rather carelessly into her duffel bag. He couldn't even bring himself to care that she was treating his expensive, tailored suit like a used towel.

Next, Nightwing took the bag from her, slung it over his shoulder and, together, they walked down the hall.

Morgan placed her mask on her face and wiped at her mouth, removing the rest of the lip gloss there.

Sans her hair, which was no longer completely smooth and neat, but wavy, a few curls sticking out, because of all the jogging up stairs and down halls they'd done, Morgan now looked like herself.

As they stepped onto the roof, a powerful gush of wind blew her hair all over, some landing in her mouth. Morgan spat it out and pulled all of her hair over her left shoulder, braiding it quickly.

"You got a scrunchie?" She asked Nightwing.

"Morgan.." he exasperated.

"Kidding." Morgan grinned. "There's one in the side pocket of the bag. Hand it over, please?"

Nightwing unzipped the small pocket and pulled out a black hair band, handing it to her.

"So, where are we going first?" Asked Morgan cheerily. It was obvious that she was relieved about escaping that party.

"We're in Gotham." Nightwing pointed out, looking out over the city with a narrowed gaze though his stance and tone were relaxed. "You don't have to search long for some sort of crime."

He walked to the edge of the roof and pulled out his grapple gun. "I've got a police radio in my car. Let's go."

He fired the gun into the roof between his feet and lowered himself down the building, landing on the snow-covered ground a minute later. Morgan landed soundlessly next to him and folded her wings behind her back.

"Which car is yours?" She asked, looking out over the parking lot and all the luxury cars there.

Nightwing hoisted the bag further up his shoulder. "The expensive looking one." He elaborated.

"They _all_ look expensive to me." He heard Morgan mutter behind him as she followed him towards his vehicle.

She whistled when she spotted the sleek, black sports car. "Nice ride." She drawled as he unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for her, handing her the duffle bag once she had settled in.

He walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, turning on the engine and radio at the same time. Waiting for the engine to heat up, he switched through the channels until he reached the special frequency Bruce had installed that allowed for Nightwing to listen in on the police radio.

Nightwing revved up the engine and sped out of the parking lot, Morgan quickly clicking her seatbelt into place and clinging to the strap of her duffel bag.

Knowing that it was the place most likely for a crime to take place, Nightwing headed in the direction of the slums. The police radio currently had nothing interesting to report so he decided to seek out the crime in his own way instead.

"Once we reach the poorer parts of the city, we'll ditch the car in an alley somewhere. I'm _not_ risking anyone seeing us in it and tracking the plates back to Dick Grayson."

"Good idea." Morgan agreed.

While they were in the car, it had started snowing outside and Nightwing turned on the windshield wipers.

"This really is an awesome car." Morgan admitted after a moment. She sat up straighter in her seat and studied the interior. "How fast can it go?" She wondered.

"I haven't checked." Nightwing admitted right as they arrived at their destination. He found an old, poorly lit parking lot and turned to it, shutting off the engine once he'd parked the car.

"What about the police radio?" Morgan pointed out.

"Already got it covered." He said as he dug a small ear piece out of a pouch from his belt and placed it in his ear before turning it on. The familiar sound of the police radio crooning lowly in his ear let him know it was active. "I can hear the radio now in this ear. It'll keep us updated."

He stepped out of the vehicle and waited for Morgan to get out too before he locked it.

"You have got to lend me some of those handy toys when I get myself my own pouch-belt." Morgan begged. Nightwing's eyes dropped to the belt she had currently fastened around her waist, the old thing nostalgically familiar as he remembered wearing it himself when he first joined the Team. He'd only been thirteen back then and much smaller in size, so the belt fit Morgan pretty well. She smiled excitedly as she flipped her thick braid over her shoulder, snowflakes settling charmingly in her hair, her cheeks red from the cold.

In Dick's own, very _very_ secret and personal opinion, she looked better like this than she'd looked at the party. She looked more alive, more free. More excited and happy.

"We'll see." Was all he said as he walked ahead, Morgan following close behind him.

He figured he might as well use the night to test Morgan in her skills so he stopped once they'd reach a small alley and disappeared into the dark shadows it provided. "Alright." He started. "What is the first thing we should do when starting a patrol?"

Morgan seemed to catch up to his line of thought immediately and answered, a small confident grin on her face. "We find some high ground where we have a better view over the streets so it's easier to spot any crime."

"Exactly. So, find some high ground."

Morgan looked up and pointed at the taller of the two buildings they stood between. "We'll go up there to see if we can spot the tallest building nearby."

Nightwing confirmed with a nod and followed her lead.

They reached the top and Morgan did a three-sixty, spotting the tallest building in the neighborhood and pointed to it. "That's our building." She said.

Two minutes later, Nightwing sat perched on the railing of the building, Morgan landing next to him. "Alright, Sparrow." He said, noticing the way her small smile grew at the nickname. "What now?"

* * *

><p>January 26 th<p>

"So, the entire school thinks we slept together." Morgan said conversationally four days later.

Nightwing looked up from the knot he was tightening on the rope around her wrists. He was currently teaching her how to break out of various forms of confinement. They'd been picking locks all afternoon and now, an hour after dinner, which Nightwing had eaten with the others at the Cave, Morgan had demanded a change of pace.

So, Nightwing had busted out some rope and tied her up, lecturing her on how to escape her bindings.

She'd managed to wriggle herself out of the ropes and Nightwing had now tied her hands behind her back. He'd placed a knife at the end of an obstacle course and she had to get it with her hands and wings strapped to her back, and use it to cut the rope loose.

"Why?" He asked after a moment's pause.

Morgan shrugged. "Because someone saw us leaving the Ball early together. Apparently it seemed more likely that we did it to have sex than to go dress up in costumes and terrorize the criminals of Gotham."

"Shows how much they know." Nightwing took a step back to study his handiwork. "Done. Go get the knife."

He took her time with a stopwatch and Morgan leapt onto the first crate, doing her best to not fall off, and hopped onto the next. She found that leaping from crate to crate without pausing too much between them made the task much easier. And she soon found herself standing in front of the next obstacle. This went on until she reached the end and now only had one task left. She'd only fallen on her ass three times during the obstacle course which she personally thought was impressive with her arms tied behind her back.

Now all she needed to do was get a hold of the knife and cut through the rope around her wrists.

She crouched down behind it and felt around for the knife with her stiff fingers, wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so she could get some blood flowing back into her digits. Finally grasping the handle, she let out a small woop of joy and started slicing through the bonds. It was slow work because her hands weren't allowed much movement, but eventually she managed to cut through the rope once, immediately decreasing her hands restriction. It was much easier to slice through it a second time, and she didn't even need to do it a third time as the rope had already loosened enough for her to wriggle her hands out of it.

"Done!" She shouted and Nightwing stopped the watch.

"How did I do?"

"Twenty seconds faster than the last time." He informed, sounding vaguely impressed.

It was the only praise she'd get, Morgan knew that, so she took it.

The gym's door opened and M'gann stepped inside. Morgan was kind of relieved she'd come now and not back when Morgan had been lying on the floor, completely tied up, with Nightwing hovering over her.

That would've been weird to explain.

"Nightwing?" M'gann spoke softly, sounding deflated. "Everyone is here. They leave in half an hour."

"I'm coming." He responded. Morgan threw the rest of the rope off of her and flew towards the other end of the gym, landing next to her Martian friend. "Who're leaving?" She questioned.

"Some of the Leaguers." Nightwing clarified as he and M'gann headed for the exit. Morgan hesitated for a moment before following after him. "I told you about the missing sixteen hours, right?"

Morgan nodded.

"Well, they're leaving to face some court in the sector they attacked."

"Wait." Morgan furrowed her brow. "How long will they be gone?"

Nightwing and M'gann shared a look. M'gann's face was drawn into a worried mask. "We don't know." She answered.

"Oh."

Morgan followed with them through the garage and through the small strip of trees. She figured if she hadn't been allowed to come, Nightwing would've stopped her from following them.

Still, when their feet hit the sandy beach and she spotted the small crowd of superheroes standing there, Morgan faltered, opting to stay by the trees.

Nightwing cast a brief look at her over his shoulder before continuing on when he saw the way she shook her head slightly to signal she wasn't going to go any further.

Morgan couldn't hear any of the words exchanged between mentor and protégée as she watched the seven small groups saying their goodbyes to each other. Several hugs and shoulder-pats were exchanged. Morgan watched as Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin received neither from their darkly-clad mentor, and found herself secretly glad that Batman wasn't her mentor too. He seemed cold to her. Emotionless.

As she took note of the heroes preparing to leave earth, a sense of dread started clutching her heart. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman.. Martian Manthunter, both of the Hawks.. Green Lantern, Icon..

All some of the really important and powerful members of the League. Earth's defense would be severely weakened with them gone, however temporarily it might be.

She crossed her arms over her chest and from her leaning position against the tree behind her and smiled softly to herself when she realized her thoughts. She'd already started thinking like a Superhero, like one of earth defenders. She'd only been in the business for two months and she already felt so deeply involved. The thought should've scared her, but it didn't really. She liked the place she was in right now. She liked the turn her life had taken.

Slight wonder filled her eyes when she saw Green Lantern produce a green spaceship through thin air, the eight Leaguers completely engulfed in the luminous, see through material.

Her head tilted upwards as she followed the soaring spaceship with her eyes until it was gone from sight.

The small group that had been left behind disbanded soon afterwards and Morgan watched Nightwing approach.

"Get some sleep." He ordered. "You'll need it."

Morgan thought the last part had been unnecessarily ominous of him to add, but she nodded anyway and uncrossed her arms, pushing off of the tree behind her.

She walked slowly enough for the others to pass in front of her and, when everyone had gone inside but her, Morgan spread out her wings and flew into the sky. She felt restless and stiff in her limbs, needing a small, quick flight more than sleep at the moment.

Only when her wings were aching and shaking from the strain and her body was stiff and freezing from the cold January air did Morgan get back inside.

She knew that the Team was about to enter a difficult time. With most of the League gone, Earth's defense now fell to their small group of youngsters.

* * *

><p>1. "I wish I had."<p>

Shit's going down!

We are soon entering the next part of the Young Justice: Invasion plotline!

Seriously, when I first started planning this story and suddenly realized that there was basically a month between Malina Island blowing up and then the League leaving, I was like 'shiiit, what to write in between, what to write in between.. Screw it, I'm gonna make a school ball.'

Time gaps, I swear to god..

ANYWAY, tomorrow's my birthday! Yay!

So, in honor of myself (lol), and because I've gotten a shit load of writing done recently, I will post a new chapter tomorrow, if this one manages to scrape together more than twenty reviews. You guys have until midnight on the 13th of November!

Fun fact: When I turn 19 tomorrow, it'll be the first time one of my OC's are younger than me! Weird thought.


	18. Sneaking Out

Chapter Eighteen

Sneaking Out

February 6th

The first time Morgan asked Nightwing if she could go on a patrol in Happy Harbor by herself, he'd leveled her with one of _those_ looks.

"No." He said simply, apparently not thinking she needed more to go on than that.

"Aw, come on!" She'd whined, crossing her arms stubbornly in front of her. "I promise not to take on the entire mob singlehandedly. I'll just deal with small-time criminals."

Nightwing paused the work he was doing on the holographic computers in the Cave's main room and turned to her. "Morgan, I said _no_." He repeated and turned his attention back to whatever he'd been doing before.

Morgan had seen him send Bumble Bee and Blue Beetle on a small mission ten minutes earlier and she'd instantly wished it was her. She'd promised Nightwing exactly a month ago that she'd stop bothering him about going on missions but, _come on_, she'd expected him to let her go already!

She'd promised to not bother him about it and she hadn't done so _once_ for the past month, but now she felt the old and familiar ache settle in her limbs again. Morgan wanted to get out there and do something! She wanted to start doing work she felt like mattered, not beat up harmless newbie criminals that tried to rob the local grocery store.

So, she'd asked him if she could join someone on a mission soon. She'd even attempted to approach the subject tactfully and everything.

And he'd shut her down immediately, leaving Morgan to sulk in her room for an hour before she resurfaced, asking if she, instead, could go out on patrol.

"I'm busy Morgan, we can't go." He'd denied.

"Well.." She fiddled with her fingers in front of her and tugged on a curl, trying to lay out her proposition gently. "I could just go by myself?"

And then, of course, he'd told her no and Morgan had whined some more and then made that promise to only deal with small-time criminals.

"If you had any idea how many upstart heroes has said something like that and then accidentally _taken on the entire mob singlehandedly_, you'd understand why I'm not letting you go."

Morgan groaned. "You're impossible! You're letting people much younger than me go all the time!"

"They all have more experience than you."

"That's not the point!" She argued. "The point is that I'm legally an adult and you keep treating me like a reckless child! I can understand that you're not sending me on any missions, I can even almost accept it, but please, for the love of god, stop talking down to me!"

Getting much more worked up over this than she'd expected herself to, Morgan let out a small cry of frustration and marched out of the room. She headed for a small exit that led her to the side of the mountain. She'd gone there a few times in the past months since Nightwing had shown it to her. It was a small outcropping on one of the steeper sides of the mountain, well hidden by the plant growth there.

She lay on the cold ground and stared up at the brilliant night sky, tracing the constellations she recognized with her eyes.

Morgan knew that Nightwing was stressed out a lot at the moment. Everyone was. With a huge portion of the League's members gone, a lot of responsibility had suddenly landed on the Team's shoulders. She'd seen everyone going on missions near-constantly and she could tell that while some of them thrived in the new business, others were straining under the new weight of responsibility.

As the leader of the team, Nightwing was the one with the most weight on his shoulders, and it was putting a strain on him. Morgan could tell.

He'd had to skip out on their usual sparring sessions three times the past nine days alone, something he rarely ever did. The only times he wasn't at the Cave working was when he was in school or he was sleeping. Morgan suspected that one of these days he'd simply start crashing in one of the Cave's spare bedrooms to save time.

So of course he'd be short with his words when they spoke. He was too busy to have the time for carrying on long conversations with anyone and Morgan suspected that if he did find the time to sit down and converse, she wouldn't be his first choice for a conversational partner.

Not that she _wanted_ to sit down and talk with him. She just wished he'd stop disregarding everything she said because he 'didn't have the time' or because he was focused on something else or because she wasn't 'experienced enough to have a valid opinion'.

She wished he'd treat her like a grown up instead of a bratty kid.

But then again, hadn't she been acting like a bratty kid just now?

The longer she thought about it, the worse she felt. Nightwing was only a kid himself still. Just a teenager who suddenly had a shit-load of responsibility dropped onto him. It was just easy to forget that he was only nineteen years old when he always acted so _grown up. _

She reminded herself that her mentor was a totally emotionless, marble man, like, ninety nine percent of the time. He was 'Mister Perfect'. Nightwing could easily handle all the new responsibility. All he had to do was send other people into the field, after all.

Her sympathy for him dropped when she thought about this. He'd been trained to deal with these kinds of things since he was still a small kid, he could easily deal with everything the League threw at him. She didn't have to feel bad. He could easily speak to her as an adult but he _chose _not to.

Morgan shifted in her spot when she heard the small latch behind her open, trying to spot whoever was coming out.

"What can I do for you, M'gann?" She sat up when she spotted the Martian approaching her.

"I think the question is what _I _can do for _you." _M'gann retaliated. "What's bugging you Morgan? You and Nightwing haven't had an argument in _weeks_."

"You saw that, did you?" Morgan looked sullenly at her hands and started pulling at tufts of grass. M'gann sat down next to her, crossing her legs underneath her. The wind whipped at her blue cape as it did Morgan's hair.

M'gann was silent as she waited for Morgan to elaborate.

"Look, I know people are stressed because everyone's had a lot more on their plate than usual these past days." Morgan started out, wanting to make sure M'gann knew that she understood what was going on. She continued, "But he treats me so unfairly. Like I'm a little kid that'll go and get myself killed the second I step outside."

"Maybe he just wants to make sure you don't get hurt." M'gann suggested, obviously trying to smooth out any wrinkles. "Nightwing's never tried to be anyone's mentor, he probably just wants to be cautious. He doesn't want to fail the responsibility he's been given. If you got hurt or died, he'd hold himself personally responsible."

Morgan scoffed. "He's being paranoid, that's what he is. I've already been out several times with him, why should going alone be any different? I _am _capable of taking care of myself."

"Maybe he's just stressed out over all the work he's suddenly gotten." M'gann spoke in a soft voice that annoyed Morgan. It sounded too much like M'gann was trying to placate Morgan so she didn't get angry again.

Which was exactly what Morgan was talking about. That soft voice was exactly as condescending as Nightwing had been.

"I can understand that the Team is stretched pretty thin, which is _exactly_ why it makes absolutely no sense for him to make me stay behind. Why not take advantage of the fact that I'm here and highly willing to help out?"

M'gann paused for a long time as she seemed to consider Morgan's words. In the end, she shrugged. "I'm not sure, Morgan. All I can say is that I'm confident that all he's doing, he's doing with good reason. I've known Nightwing for a long time. He thinks things through."

What frustrated Morgan was that she _could_ see both sides of the case. She _could_ understand M'gann's reasoning, but it didn't make her feel any better about being left behind in the Cave again and again as she watched her team mates go out and protect the world.

"Well," M'gann patted Morgan's knee once before standing up. "We should get inside. It's cold out here."

Morgan realized quite suddenly that she was actually chilled to the bone, and she wondered how long she'd been out here. Standing up, she followed M'gann inside, joining her in the living room. The TV was on, displaying the news.

M'gann shut it down when she realized that it was a news report about someone from their team dealing with a bank robbery.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I can handle watching it, M'gann. I won't throw something at the TV in my anger or something like that."

The other girl smiled briefly at her and turned the TV back on. "It's happened before." She said, reminding Morgan of that one time she'd thrown an apple at the TV in pure annoyance at G. Gordon Godfrey.

M'gann sat down in the couch and Morgan jumped onto it from behind, planting her feet on the seat and sitting down on the backrest. If M'gann disapproved of her poor furniture manners, she didn't comment on it.

* * *

><p>February 8th<p>

Two days after Morgan had talked to M'gann, she snuck out of the Cave and into the city for the first time.

She wasn't stupid, Morgan knew the Cave had security cameras everywhere, cameras that Nightwing all had access to, so she'd strolled casually into the kitchen, wearing a large hoodie and jeans to hide her suit underneath, and announced that she was going for a walk.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be gone.. I found this really cozy café I wanted to go to. Get some homework done.." She rattled off, her excuse bullet proof. The other people in the kitchen had nodded and told her to have a good time, and Morgan had left Mount Justice with a small, triumphal smirk on her lips.

She'd strolled down the main street a moment later, looking for a private place where she could slip on her mask and boots, take off her outer layer and stash her school bag – which she'd brought with for the lie to seem more convincing.

She spotted a small side road and turned onto it, locating an abandoned and rundown office building at the far end. A victorious smile grew on her face as she jogged towards the building. All the windows and doors of the building had been closed off with large wooden planks and Morgan walked around the building in an attempt to find a weak spot she could use to break into the place.

At the west side of the building she spotted a window that had been broken a long time ago. The lowest of the three boards closing it off looked loose and Morgan found that, with a bit of pulling and prodding, the nails on one side fell out completely, the board swinging uselessly next to the window by the remaining nail.

She threw her bag in before her and jumped up, scrambling inside rather ungracefully.

Silently thanking Nightwing for forcing her to do all of those push-ups – hoisting herself up and through the window would've been a lot harder without them – she tumbled through the window and landed in a heap of clothing, wings and hair. Old and dusty glass shards were scattered right underneath the broken window, and Morgan landed on top of them with the sound of several of them cracking under the unexpected weight.

Just because they were old and dusty didn't mean they were any less sharp though, and Morgan hissed when one shard cut a long, thin line in her left palm.

After wiping her hand on her hoodie, she shrugged it off and stuffed it into her school bag, jeans soon following suit. She undid the shoelaces of her blue Converse and replaced them with sturdy, black leather boots. Taking her pendant off and putting it into one of the side pockets in her bag, she pulled her mask out from the same pocket and placed it over her eyes.

The room instantly became lighter and details became clearer. Morgan had questioned Nightwing about the masks and he'd told her that they came with self-regulating night vision.

She kicked her bag up against the wall in the darkest corner of the room – the corner the streetlights outside didn't reach – making it disappear entirely to the naked eye, and, after checking that the coast was clear, jumped out of the window.

Part of her still screamed at her about how much of a bad idea this was. She was not only going out alone without any sort of back-up since nobody knew what she was doing, she was also blatantly defying the order of her superior. She almost turned back around to don her clothing and head back home.

The other part was cheering her on in exhilaration as she spread her wings and took to the air.

It was that part that won out in the end.

* * *

><p>She did it again two nights later. This time, her excuse was going to a restaurant with her friend Esmeralda.<p>

If anyone in the Cave noticed that she didn't come back before one AM, they didn't comment on it.

And if anyone in the Cave noticed the news speaking of a new, winged superhero roaming around Happy Harbor at night by the name Sparrow, none of them mentioned it.

* * *

><p>February 11th<p>

Wally had approached Dick two days earlier. The two best friends hadn't spoke for several weeks now, Dick too busy with running the Team and Wally focusing on his schoolwork.

Dick had been at home in his apartment, reading through the pages his chemistry teacher had assigned as he did a round of pushups. He'd had one of those metal rods installed in his bathroom door months ago and was currently alternating between pulling himself up with his right and left arm, switching the book between them.

His phone had vibrated to life then and Dick had let go of the rod, landing nimbly on the ground as he dropped his text book face-down on his bed, secretly praying that it wasn't Tim or Batgirl calling him about some Team related business. The phone had confirmed the caller as Wally and Dick had answered a second later.

"Hey man." He'd greeted.

"We need to do something about Roy." Wally had answered immediately, getting right to the point, not bothering to wait for any 'how are you doing's or 'what can I do for you's.

"Uh, sure." Dick responded, sitting down on his bed and wiping at the sweaty back of his neck with a towel. "Why?"

"I saw him in town yesterday. He's.. not looking good. Green Arrow is attempting to track him down as we speak."

"Alright.. What do you plan on doing when we find him?"

"Talk to him, dude! Get some sense knocked into that stubborn head of his!"

Dick wholeheartedly agreed that something needed to be done about Roy Harper. Since finding out five years ago that he was actually a clone and that the real – the _original – _Roy Harper was missing, abducted by the very same organization that had attempted to take down the entire Justice League that very same year, Roy had gone on a mad hunt around America – and eventually the world – in an attempt to find him.

After five years of fruitless searching, Dick had partly expected him to give up already. The rest of them, as much as it pained them, had admitted defeat. The real Roy had most likely died a long time ago.

But Roy hadn't given up. In fact, as time grew, he only seemed to grow more obsessed, driving by a fanatic need to find the original Roy, to save the boy who had granted Roy life through cloning. It had gotten bad to the point where his wife – an otherwise very strong and adaptable woman, Dick grudgingly admitted about his former enemy – had left Roy.

"If you guys find him, contact me. If we all confront him together, it might just work." Dick agreed. "Either way, we gotta try, right?"

Dick ended the call after Wally's confirmation and tiredly ran a hand through his hair before supporting his chin on his hand, propped up on his knees.

Getting through to Roy as a personal matter that he would place very high on his priority list, but in its essence, it was just another problem to land in his steadily growing pile of responsibilities.

* * *

><p>February 13th<p>

Morgan stood in the Cave, arms crossed critically over her chest as she watched the large holographic screen in front of her with the others. Right behind her and slightly to her left stood Mal and Connor, Jaime a little ways off.

In front of them were M'gann and La'gaan, cuddling obnoxiously.

Morgan wasn't an expert on relationships, but theirs just didn't seem natural.

Morgan turned her attention from their sickeningly sweet pecks and giggles to the screen again, watching as some blonde professor, whom she was pretty sure she was supposed to know the name of by now, announce that the satellites containing the new shield that was to surround Earth were ready.

After the fiasco with the minor Krolotean invasion, the professor dude had come up with a solution to their pest problem. Sixteen specially made satellites were launched into space, surrounding Earth evenly, and between them a force field that would prevent anyone from Zeta'ing to earth from outer space was created. The shield also prevented anyone from leaving via Zeta technology too, meaning that if there were any Kroloteans still hanging around on planet Earth, they weren't leaving any time soon.

The group of six waited with various degrees of excitement as the satellites were activated, the small-scaled model on the floating screen showing them what was currently happening out in space.

Even Garfield, who had been intensely focused on his schoolwork before, tore his eyes away from it to watch how the launch went. Garfield, because of his unusual looks – Morgan suspected it was the green fur and tail that people tended to focus on – didn't attend any schools, but was home-schooled – or _Cave_-schooled Morgan supposed – by a small team of highly trusted professors and teachers.

The blonde doctor, visible on a small screen next to the large main screen confirmed their success. The satellites were now operational and there would be no off-world Zeta beaming.

"Absolutely historical." La'gaan declared, in a rare cheery mood as he hugged his girlfriend closer to his side. His proclamation had gained Morgan's attention and she watched as he turned his attention to the other green boy in the room and jokingly shouted, "Professor Carr! You should have your cave-school pupil write a term paper about this!"

Garfield sent him a look that told him to _knock it off before you give my teacher any bright ideas_, but La'gaan had already moved his attention elsewhere, more specifically, back to his girlfriend. "No aliens will be able to Zeta to or from Earth now that this shield's in place! Even your friend 'Strange' won't be able to travel to-and-from Rann without prior approval." La'gaan declared. Morgan wondered why he was so pumped about this thing. Sure, it was cool, but she hadn't seen La'gaan this excited since.. ever.

Behind Morgan, Connor spoke up, ever the voice of disapproval. "Shield's great. But it won't stop a space ship. Or a boom tube." His brow was drawn in a worried line.

Morgan was about to ask what a 'boom tube' was when Jaime beat her to it.

"What's a boom tube?" He asked. Before anyone could answer, his attention seemed to shift to elsewhere until he suddenly exclaimed. "'_Not compatible_'_? _What does that even mean?" He crossed his arms angrily in front of his chest. "I swear, sometimes I don't understand half of the things you say!"

Connor, Mal and Morgan looked weirdly at Jaime, who didn't seem to notice. "Uh," Mal, ever the polite one spoke up. "The feeling is mutual."

Before awkward silence had the chance to settle, Connor spoke up again. "Where's Nightwing?"

"Out." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Too busy to spar with me, apparently. Again." She sullenly stated.

Morgan felt like she wasn't developing as fast as she used to because he kept having to cancel, and it bugged her. She still had so much to learn before he would allow for her to be properly introduced to the hero business, and the more he kept cancelling their sparring, the longer it would take.

"He's taking the night off." Mal clarified when Morgan's sulky explanation didn't offer much. "Personal business."

Connor was obviously displeased with this as he bit out a curse.

Behind her, Morgan could hear M'gann and La'gaan doing their sugary 'couple in love' routine again. Noticing the extremely severe look on Connor's face, and knowing he had some sort of history with M'gann, she caught his eyes and rolled her own before making a grimace at the couple.

For a second, his eyes twinkled with dark humor and a small smile _almost_ seemed to pull at his lips.

Then it was gone as the couple left the room, and he grabbed hold of the back of Jaime's hoodie, dragging the shorter boy behind him. "Let's go."

"Woah, Connor," Mal interrupted him. "What are you doing?"

"Taking the night off." Connor answered severely, throwing Mal's earlier words back in his face. "Personal business."

Jaime and Morgan gained eye contact and the boy shrugged helplessly as he remained in Superboy's grip.

Morgan marched after the two boys, smelling a mission. Maybe Connor would let her go now that Nightwing wasn't here to protest.

"Personal business, as in a mission?" She queried.

"Maybe." Superboy's answer was a very obvious confirmation that Morgan had been right in her suspicions.

"Can I come?"

"No." He debunked firmly.

The difference between Superboy and Nightwing was that Morgan knew not to push her luck with the former. When he was angry – which he so very obviously was now – Superboy was downright scary, and Morgan wasn't tempted to pester him and accidentally push a few buttons too many.

Instead she halted in her steps and glared at his back as he marched further down the hall, disappearing in a moment with a poor, defenseless Blue Beetle being dragged with him.

If she couldn't be allowed to go on a mission, she'd use the opportunity of a nearly empty Cave, and no Nightwing, to sneak out and go on a quick patrol around the city instead.

Morgan walked back into the main room where now only Mal, Garfield and Garfield's professor remained. "I'm going out." Morgan announced, never taking a break in her walk across the floor, heading for her bedroom.

"Where?" Mal asked suspiciously. He knew that, with Nightwing away for the evening, the task of keeping an eye on Morgan had fallen to him. She was annoyed that he even thought she needed someone to keep an eye on her.

"I don't know. Just out." She said shortly as she disappeared around a corner before Mal had the chance to protest.

Morgan, having done it twice already, knew the routine well by now. She'd don her suit and slip clothes on top of it and then she'd head into the city and hide her stuff in the same old office building as she'd done the first two nights.

It was easy enough. As long as she wasn't caught.

* * *

><p>If you think Morgan's a little shit who's too stubborn for her own good, raise your hand *Author raises hand so fast it detaches and flies into outer space*<p>

Wow you guys, I asked for twenty reviews by the end of today, and you give me thirty before the day even starts! You're incredible, keep up the good work ;)

Fun Fact: Soooo... remember how in Guidelines to Loving and Incognito Superhero, you had to waiter 95.000 words for Clark and Georgia to get a-smoochin'? Well... *Looks at current lenght of Feathers in the Night* *Sweats guiltily*


	19. Not as Planned

*Warning! There's bleeding and stuff in this chapter, so watch out if you're sensitive to that kinda thing*

Chapter Nineteen

Not as Planned

Morgan growled silently to herself as she clutched her bleeding arm.

This was not how her evening was supposed to go.

She'd only been out for maybe an hour and a half when it happened.

Her wings were not yet quite strong enough for her to stay in the air for too long at a time, so, despite not being on patrol with someone who was grounded like usual, she still went with the same method she'd learned from Nightwing. Travel from tall building to tall building, keeping her eyes peeled for any unsavory business going down in the streets below her.

It was sheer luck she was even close when she'd heard the woman scream. Her face whipped in the direction the cry had come from so fast she could feel something in her neck complain, though she hardly noticed it.

Immediately taking to the air, Morgan flew up high to spot where the shout had come from more easily. Having flown two buildings over, her grey eyes scanned the ground below her and she spotted a scene that she found startlingly familiar. A woman, probably in her early thirties, was being cornered by six men in a small alleyway.

Morgan found her mind's eye recalling four months ago when she'd found herself being similarly surrounded in a dark alley in Gotham as she swooped down and landed stealthily on the emergency staircase on the building that flanked the alleyway to the left. The woman looked terrified and Morgan was filled with urgency, wanting to help the woman out as soon as possible. Normally she'd take a small moment to study her opponents, gauge how much of a problem they'd be, but this time she threw caution to the wind and leapt off the metal railing she'd been perched on and landed between the woman and the six men, a stern glare on her face.

"Nobody's getting assaulted tonight." Her voice carried strongly across the small alley. "I'm giving you one fair warning: Leave her alone, go home, rethink your life choices, and I won't have to hurt you."

Now that she was facing down the men, Morgan felt her palms grow slightly sweaty with nerves. She hadn't studied them before, but now she had plenty of time to and she didn't like what she saw.

The men were obviously prepared for a night of trouble because several of them were armed with blunt objects. The rest compensated their lack of weapons with their bulky muscles and huge frames.

Morgan had never taken on this many men at once. The most she'd ever dealt with was the four men down at the docks in Blüdhaven, but back then Nightwing had had her back in case anything went wrong.

This time she was all alone. And instead of four men, there were six. And instead of being unarmed, these men _were_ armed.

The group of a half a dozen men stared at the short girl in front of them, seemingly wondering what on earth she was talking about.

Morgan's heart started fluttering with fear in her chest when they laughed uproariously. This would've been much easier if their confidence had been weakened by fear. Now it was _her_ confidence that was suffering.

"You're out of your league, kid." The one in front – the leader, she assumed – grunted, his voice rough and deep.

Morgan, figuring feigning confidence and fearlessness would only help her case, sniffed in disdain and crossed her arms in front of her. "You're the ones out of your league." She replied, sticking her nose haughtily in the air. "Don't you know who I am? I'm –"

"That new hero, Sparrow. We know." The leader spoke up again, crossing his huge, bulky, tattooed arms in front of his chest. "And so far, we're not impressed." The guys behind him laughed darkly and fingered their weapons. "It's gonna take a lot more than a single mention in the news for you to scare anyone, girl."

Morgan couldn't help but think how unfair it was that someone like Batman or Superman only had to _show up_ and mention who they were, and the baddies started running, but Morgan, just because she was lesser known and less impressive in stature, had to prove her worth over and over again.

She sunk into a taut stance, holding her arms out, ready to grab mental control of anyone of them and crash them into the brick walls around them at a moment's notice.

"Then why don't you come over here so I can give you a proper reason to be scared." She hissed fiercely.

The leader, obviously not amused at this little girl challenging him, motioned for the guy to his immediate right. "Deal with her." He ordered.

The guy smirked, revealing a mouth that only had six teeth left, and he charged Morgan, metal bat in his hand raised high above him, ready to bash Morgan's head in.

Morgan knew it'd be easier for her to gain control of the bat in his hand rather than him – manipulating non-organic things were so much easier, especially when she needed to act fast – Morgan directed her mental focus on it and spread the fingers on her right hand out before throwing her arm to the right, watching with satisfaction as the bat aimed straight for the red brick wall, the guy clutching it in his hands too surprised to let go before it was too late.

His head came into contact with the wall with a _crunch_ and he slid down the wall, unconscious.

The leader was obviously not pleased with this. He'd expected the pesky blonde to go down without a fight. "Get her!" He barked at the remaining four men and they jumped to attention before charging at her all at once.

This attack would prove more difficult to fend off, Morgan realized, so she stood up from her crouch and flew into the air, just out of their reach.

One of them, obviously finding himself terribly clever, threw his own metal bat – identical to the other one – after her. Morgan swerved to the side right in time to avoid the bat crashing into her left wing. Glaring, she trained her attention on the bat and sent it crashing down into the back of the head of the guy who'd thrown it and he crumbled to the ground, unconscious.

Having evened the odds somewhat now and still wanting to create a barrier between the men and the woman, who was leaning fearfully into the corner of the alley, looking like she was trying to melt completely into the cold brick, Morgan landed on the ground again.

The first man jumped her but she bent low and braced her arms against his stomach, using her power to add strength behind her throw, and she sent him across the small space, landing on top of the two others.

The leader seemed to think it was time for him to join the fray and he pulled out a shining and wickedly sharp-looking knife from his inner pocket.

Training her undivided attention on him proved to be her mistake and she only noticed the hand grasping hold of her ankle when it was too late. One of the men she'd knocked to the round had regained his wits quicker than she'd expected and after reaching out for her ankle, he gave it a rough heave. Morgan, releasing a startled sound, found her balance gone and she fell to the dirty cement beneath her.

She looked up just in time to roll out of the way of the knife the leader was bringing down on her, and instead of the knife meeting its mark, it bounced off of the ground.

Morgan jumped to her feet and used her new-found height advantage to kick the leader in the face and then the hand, making him drop hisknife.

He roared in pain and anger, lunging for her legs in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Morgan leapt out of his reach, not noticing that the guy who'd grabbed her ankle before – the only man that wasn't put out of commission besides the leader – had gotten to his feet again and was now right behind her.

He grabbed her in an arm lock almost exactly like the one she'd been held in when she'd fought those drug dealers with Nightwing.

This time she knew how to get out of it, though. Stomping her boot with all her might into his foot, the attack startled him just enough for Morgan to wriggle her hands free and she turned around, aiming a punch at his stubble-covered jawline. She willed her powers into the punch and was satisfied when the _crack! _that echoed around the alley told her that she'd most likely broken his jaw.

He let out a garbled scream and fell to his knees, all of his attention now focused on his smarting face.

A sudden pain, worse than any she'd ever experienced before, abruptly screamed in her left arm and she looked down just in time to see the leader pull his knife from the long gash he'd just dealt her.

Morgan cursed inwardly as she tried to keep her focus on the task at hand. Her suit was built for speed and agility, not necessarily security. The part of the suit that covered her upper body was bullet proof to protect her internal organs, but her sleeves were not. A knife could easily cut through the sturdy fabric if enough strength was put behind the slash.

Morgan clutched her now useless arm to her chest, not caring that she was bleeding all over the light-grey winged symbol on it. A voice in her head was screaming at her to finish the job quickly before it was too late.

She held her right arm out and spread her fingers wide, and with a fierce glare, she threw the man up so his head connected with the bottom of the steel fire escape right above them. Her shoulders sagged with satisfaction when his unconscious body fell down, hitting the ground with a _thud_.

Morgan turned to the woman she'd just saved, who was staring at her with a look akin to wonder.

"Are you okay?"

The woman nodded hesitantly and Morgan plowed right on. "Do me a favor and call the police. They'll want to deal with this scum." She was wheezing, her breathing uneven from both the physical exertion she'd just been through, but also the pain in her arm.

"You're hurt," the woman spoke up. "You should go to the hospital."

Morgan managed to muster up a confident smirk. "Don't worry about me. I've had worse" – a lie, but she needed to end the conversation as soon as possible so she could go back to the Cave and have someone stitch her up. "Just call the police and tell them what happened. Stay safe."

Not waiting for the woman to respond, Morgan took to the air, heading for Mount Justice.

Morgan knew that going back for her bag and clothes was an unnecessary risk that she'd be stupid to take. She'd have to enter the Cave in her costume and explain why she was bleeding. By now, it was too late to prevent any of the others from finding out she'd been sneaking out at night to go on patrol when she wasn't allowed.

By morning Nightwing would certainly know, if not tonight already. Morgan rued the dressing down he was bound to give her.

_Oh well.. it had been fun while it lasted._ She sighed and clutched her arm tighter to her chest as she accepted her fate. Right now, she feared bleeding out or losing consciousness before she reached the Cave more than she feared her mentor's wrath.

She landed on the ground in front of the entrance to the Cave's garage and entered through the large, hangar-like doors.

Relief flooded her system when she spotted Mal. Out of all the people in the Cave, the gentle giant was the one she'd hoped to stumble across first.

"Mal!" She croaked out, already starting to feel dizzy.

The young man turned his head in her direction, eyes widening when he saw the state Morgan was in. the blood had stained most of her grey emblem crimson as well as her hands. Unregistered tears were slowly leaking from her eyes and she wobbled slightly on her feet.

He approached her quickly, demanding to know what happened.

"Knife." Morgan said shortly, gently moving her arm away from her chest so Mal could see the long, oozing cut that started just underneath the inside of her elbow and ended two inches above her wrist.

Mal swallowed thickly as the cut was revealed to him and he drew in a sharp breath.

Seeing the way her legs were shaking, Mal picked Morgan up and hurriedly walked deeper into the Cave, heading for the infirmary.

Morgan had been there a few times before. First when Hawkgirl had inspected her wings, second when Nightwing had taken a look at her bruised knuckles after she'd foolishly punched a rock, and once afterwards because she'd twisted her ankle during training. She hadn't been able to spar with Nightwing for a few days afterwards because he insisted that the ankle needed time to heal.

But neither of those injuries had been as dire as this one and as Morgan saw them approaching the double swing doors, her heart clenched in fear.

"You know how to treat it?" Morgan asked as Mal set her down on the nearest sick bed. The white sheets were stained crimson as Morgan clenched her right hand around them to deal with the pounding in her left arm.

"Sure," He responded as he sped around the room, gathering bandages, disinfectant and other things he'd need to treat her wound. "They don't just keep me around for my good looks."

Morgan chuckled through her tears at his attempt at humor, grateful that he was trying to lift the mood. It comforted her that her situation apparently wasn't bad enough to make joking distasteful.

Mal asked her to free her arm of her suit while he gathered whatever he needed. Morgan unbuttoned the dark blue cuff and pulled open the small zipper that had been added to make the tight suit easier to slip in and out of. Then she rolled the sleeve up as best as she could with one hand, trying her damndest to not touch or jostle the cut.

Mal arrived and immediately pressed a thick cloth to the wound, applying pressure. Morgan hissed out loud in pain and winched visibly.

"It's to stop the bleeding." Mal explained to prove that the pain was necessary right now.

Five minutes later he asked her to hold the cloth down on the wound for him and she did, watching as he soaked another cloth in a foul-smelling clear liquid.

"Disinfectant." He explained before she got the chance to ask.

He removed the fabric that had covered her wound once the bleeding had stopped and cleaned the wound with the disinfectant.

This time, instead of hissing, Morgan downright cried out in pain and bit harshly down on her lip to avoid shouting twice.

Mal spared her a look that was part sympathetic, part '_well maybe if you hadn't gone out and done something stupid this wouldn't have happened.'_

"So," He said a moment later when he'd started dressing the wound. "Care to tell me what happened?"

Morgan hesitated before deciding that she should tell him. Mal had tended to her injury, he deserved to know what had caused it.

"I – uh," She wet her lower lip and started over. "I went on patrol in the city. Alone."

Mal looked up at her sharply, stilling his work. "I thought Nightwing told you not to."

"I _did_." came an icy voice from the doorway, making the two people in the room jump in surprise and turn around quickly.

Morgan swallowed nervously when she spotted Nightwing standing in the door, looking absolutely livid.

His entire body was completely tensed up in his fury and as he approached them, he walked in jerky movements because of it.

At the moment, Morgan vaguely thought somewhere in the back of her mind, he was as scary as Batman.

"How could you _possibly_ be this stupid?" Nightwing seethed, stopping in front of Morgan's bed, hands clenched at his sides. "Sneaking out, disobeying orders, engaging in a fight with no means of back up? Getting yourself injured like that? _How_ could you _possibly _be this _stupid?!" _He repeated.

Morgan leaned away from him, afraid he'd start frothing at the mouth any minute. Nightwing, usually so put together, was absolutely wild at the moment, a flurry of emotions that made her dizzy and gave her a head ache.

Or maybe that was just the blood loss.

Mal started wrapping her arm up at a faster pace, obviously wishing to get out of the crossfire. He'd probably borne witness to Nightwing lecturing a team member before and didn't wish to witness it again. Or maybe he'd never seen Nightwing this angry before and it scared him enough to flee as soon as possible.

Either way, seeing the big guy so nervous didn't comfort Morgan in the slightest.

She felt her rebellious side flare up, the side that seemed that much more active when she was dealing with Nightwing, and the side that seemed to get her constantly in trouble.

Morgan furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to defend her actions, but Nightwing cut her off.

"How many times?" He asked and Morgan crossed her arms at the vague question.

"How many times _what_?" She replied nastily. She could see Mal grimace at her tone, obviously thinking her crazy for daring to use that tone of voice when talking to an angry Nightwing.

"How many times have you snuck out on patrol by yourself?" He elaborated, crossing his arms stiffly over his chest as he leveled her with a glare, fiercer than she'd ever seen it before. She'd no doubt his blue eyes would be shooting lightning at her if they hadn't been hidden behind his mask.

"Uh," Morgan hesitated, knowing that it wouldn't be pretty if she told the truth, but also knowing that he'd recognize her lie if she told one. "Three. Three times."

Mal finished the bandage on her arm and was out the room before either hero could tell him to stay.

Morgan was glad. If there was one thing she hated more than getting yelled at by Nightwing, it was getting yelled at by Nightwing with an _audience_.

Nightwing's face – Morgan had thought it impossible – contorted into an even angrier mask.

"_What?"_ He hissed, and the low sound was even more menacing than his shouting.

That rebellious side flared up again, this time with extra anger added to the dangerous mix. "Well what did you expect?" She protested loudly. "For me to _rot_ away in the Cave as I waited for you to decide in a few years that I'd gotten good enough to help you escort old ladies across the street?"

"I _expected_ you to trust my judgment and respect my orders!" Nightwing angrily replied. His body was filled with furious energy and he started pacing in the room, unable to stay still. "I _expected_ you to have the patience to wait until you're actually skilled enough before going out by yourself!"

"Well, _how_ am I supposed to become good enough when you're too focused on leading the Team to actually train me?!" Morgan shouted. "I went out on my own, yes, but if that's what it takes to actually _evolve_, then I'll gladly do it again! And you know what? I've been doing fine out there!"

He stopped pacing, getting close again. "You have _not_ been doing fine!" Nightwing cut her off, pointing a long, gloved finger in her face. "If you'd done _fine_, you wouldn't have gotten injured! What were you thinking, Morgan? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"_BUT I DIDN'T_!" Morgan exploded, pushing off of the bed she was sitting on to properly face him. "Did I?"

She heaved a large breath and launched into her defense again. "You might think I've been stupid and reckless, but I saved a woman's life tonight and that, I think, makes it worth it! Don't you _want_ me to save lives?"

"That's not the point!" Nightwing growled. "The point is that you disobeyed a _direct order_ and brought yourself in danger because of it. If I can't trust you to follow an order as simple as this one, how can I trust you'll do as asked when you're on a mission? If you insist on endangering your own life, I won't stop you, but how can I be sure your own life is the only one you endanger the next time you decide to ignore orders?!"

Morgan opened her mouth to protest but paused, knowing that her mentor had a very good point. She wobbled slightly on her legs, dizzier than before.

"I've tried my very best to get through to you Morgan, but this is your last warning." Nightwing looked at her almost disdainfully and Morgan hated it. "If you ever disobey an order like that again, you're off the Team."

Morgan felt as if her stomach was suddenly filled with ice and it was all she could do not to gasp out loud.

The thought of having to leave the Team and venture back into the world and live as she'd done before terrified her more than facing down a hundred men at once. Her anger was quickly drowned in her fear and she lost all fight in her body.

"I-" She swallowed, feeling like her mouth was filled with cotton. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Right as she said it, Morgan's legs finally gave out, weak and shaky from the loss of blood and the pain her wound had caused. Nightwing instinctively caught her, long fingers wrapping around her upper arms, before she could crash to the floor in a useless heap and supported her to the sickbed. She sat down, leaning against the headboard with closed eyes, sweat forming in her hairline.

She heard Nightwing curse under his breath in – was it Romanian? – and then he told her to stay put.

Morgan nodded wordlessly, not sure if he saw it and she heard the doors open and close behind him.

He couldn't have been gone for more than five minutes, but Morgan still managed to fall asleep in the short time, tired and sore from her eventful night.

* * *

><p>February 14th<p>

Nightwing arrived early at the Cave the next morning to be sure he'd catch Morgan before anyone else. They were long overdue for a talk, he'd decided the night before.

Walking into the infirmary, he found her still asleep. Pushing a chair next to her bed, he decided to exploit the wait and get some homework done.

His night had been, altogether, less of a success. They'd utterly failed in their attempt to talk some sense into Roy, which had put Nightwing into a bad mood to begin with. Then, returning to the Cave, he'd used the security camera system to track down Mal, wanting an update on the Team's dealings while he was away. You can imagine his surprise when he'd located Mal in the infirmary, binding the wound of a specific blond girl, in her suit.

Having already half way guessed – or disbelievingly figured that she _wouldn't_ have done something that stupid – what had happened, Nightwing had marched himself straight down to the infirmary, telling himself that he had to remain calm and that it probably wasn't what it looked like - and it looked like she was having an injury being seen to because she'd been out, fighting.

Then he'd entered the infirmary – unnoticed by the others – and Morgan had confirmed that it was _exactly_ what it looked like, and Nightwing had felt all his own reassurances and carefully built up walls of composure and calmness fly out the window faster than Superman could have.

Nightwing, for the first time in a _very_ long time, saw red.

He wasn't sure how she did it, but Morgan certainly knew how to push the right buttons.

And then of course she'd gone and gotten ill so he couldn't keep shouting at her.

Though, right before she got ill, she'd apologized and promised to clean her act up. That comforted him somewhat. He could only hope that it hadn't been due to a moment's weakness because she had been unstable at the moment.

Threatening to throw her off the Team had been harsh, but Nightwing had reached the point where he didn't know what else to do. In the end, it had coerced the response from her that he wanted. An apology and the promise to do better.

Suddenly, the girl on his mind stirred next to him and from the change in her breathing, Nightwing could tell she was awake.

He gave her a few seconds to clear her undoubtedly foggy mind before he spoke up.

"When I was ten," He began, his tone slightly grave. "I had recently started going with Batman on patrols in Gotham. I was a pretty eager sidekick, wanted to go out and fight criminals all the time. I started begging Batman to try and let me go on my own because I was desperate to prove to him that I could do it."

He could feel Morgan fidget next to him as she paid close attention to his story, obviously intrigued but also suspecting where the story was going.

"Batman kept telling me 'no', said I wasn't ready to go out on my own." He went on. "I disagreed, of course. I always did well when I was with him, why should it be any different if I went alone? Anyway, one night when Batman was away, I snuck out and went on patrol in the city by myself." Nightwing smiled ruefully because the next part embarrassed him a bit. "There was this old abandoned building that I knew harbored a particularly ruthless gang and I decided that, if I managed to deal with them, Batman would see that I was ready. Foolishly, I tried to take on ten armed men at the same time. I ended up being thrown through a window and fell two stories down onto the street."

Nightwing finally turned and looked at the girl next to him who was watching him, her grey eyes wide.

"I broke my arm and had to call Batman for help. When I'd gotten my arm treated, he took me to the Batcave and gave me a stern lecture. I can still remember exactly what he said." Nightwing brought the memory to the front of his mind and started quoting his mentor's words. "'Robin, team work is about mutual trust. If I can't trust you to follow my orders, how can I trust you to have my back when I need it? How can I trust you to do your job properly when I can't even trust you to respect my judgment?'"

He cleared his throat. "And I'd like to remind you of the same. A team will only function if there is mutual trust there. Not necessarily friendship, but at least trust. If I don't feel like I can trust you, I won't be confident sending you on a mission because I'll feel like I'm endangering not only you, but also the people you're working with. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as they say."

Morgan, for the first time ever, probably, seemed to really weigh his words instead of just disregarding them.

"I _am_ sorry." Was the first thing she said. "Now that I think back on my actions, I can see how childish they were. And I promise to never disobey an order again. Just please," She directed a huge and wet pair of eyes at him. "Don't kick me off the team." Her voice was small.

Nightwing knew then that what he'd told her had gotten through to her. Not just the things he'd shouted at her the night before in his anger, but the story he'd told her that morning.

He almost dared to hope that their relationship would smooth out somewhat now that they'd reached some kind of agreement.

"I won't." He promised, standing up. As he walked towards the door, he added, "Go get something to eat. We train in an hour. You said you wanted to train more often, so that's what we'll do."

Behind him, he could hear her splutter in disbelief. "But my left arm is useless!" She protested.

"Guess your right one will have to be twice as fast then." Nightwing drawled, tossing a smirk at her over his shoulder. "Happy valentine's day." He quipped as he left the infirmary and a very exasperated and disbelieving Morgan behind.

* * *

><p>You guys asked for some sort of reaction from Nightwing. I hope this was satisfactory. We're slowly moving into less hostile territory between these two! Now that they've come to some sort of agreement.<p>

I hope Nightwing didn't seem out of character and stuff. I just always figured he'd get pretty angry and firm when people intentionally disobeyed his orders. And since Morgan's been annoying and rebellious since the beginning, I think it was only a matter of time until something would be the last straw, ya know? After all, he's only human.

Today's my brother's birthday! Yay! (We have a lot of birthdays around november and december.)

Fun fact: When Morgan is angry or distressed or thoughtful, she prefers cold showers. When she'd just taking a shower to take a shower, she prefers really hot showers.


	20. An Actual Car Chase

Chapter Twenty

An Actual Car Chase

February 14th

Exactly an hour later – Nightwing was impressed with her timing – Nightwing and Morgan were in the gym.

Nightwing hadn't bothered with any small-talk, engaging her in a fight immediately upon entry.

Morgan had been fast enough to dodge the kick that would've knocked the air out of her if it had hit, and Nightwing noted that she'd gotten pretty fast in both her movement and reaction time.

He didn't give her much time to regain her composure as he charged at her again, this time with a series of fast-paced jabs. She valiantly attempted to block as many of them as she could with only her right arm, but only having one arm to fend herself against his two, combined with his ten years of experience against her three months, the poor girl didn't stand a chance.

Nightwing was intentionally working her a bit harder than usual, both because he wanted her to know that her opponent wouldn't slow down just because she was injured, and because he needed to remind her that she still had a lot to learn. It was actually a pretty good lesson. She needed to know how to fight while injured.

As he usually did while they fought, Nightwing started throwing in some facts and advice. "You've gotten lucky so far because you've been fighting amateurs. When you start going on missions, the people you're up against will all be trained, maybe even professionals."

He kicked his leg out in an attempt to knock her legs out of balance and send her to the floor, but Morgan somehow managed to jump over it and she immediately took to the air, hovering just above his reach.

Nightwing sent her a disapproving look. Morgan knew very well that their sparring matches were supposed to teach her hand-to-hand combat and using either her wings or telekinesis was not allowed during those sessions.

"I'm sorry." She gasped out, taking in deep gulps of air. "I just need a quick breather."

He crossed his arms critically over his chest but allowed her a small moment to pull herself together, mindful that she'd lost a lot of blood the previous night and had almost fainted on him because of it.

She touched ground a minute later and Nightwing was upon her in an instant.

They went on for some time, Morgan never straying from defense. Nightwing didn't give her the opportunity to.

He aimed a high hit to her left, and Morgan, having had the proper defensive movement drilled into her since their first training session, instinctively lifted her left arm to block the blow.

The moment Nightwing's arms connected with her forearm, he recognized his – and her – mistake. Morgan eyes widened in pure shock and she let out a surprised and pained cry. She clutched the arm to her chest and took several steps back, gasping in pain. Because of the rapid backward steps she took, she lost her balance and fell on her backside, wings fluttering in distress.

"I'm sorry!" he quickly exclaimed and practically ran forward, dropping to his knees next to her.

She kept taking in harsh breaths, her eyes closed tightly and teeth clenched together as she willed the pain to pass. Nightwing, honestly unsure what he was supposed to do, how to comfort her until the pain passed, placed a steadying hand on her shoulder and waited for her to pull herself together again.

Eventually, she opened her eyes and bit out a small curse in Danish. "Sorry." She wore a dark, self deprecating smile and blinked rapidly to remove any tears that had built up. "Stupid blonde moment.."

"Don't worry about it." Nightwing attempted to make her feel better. "I shouldn't have aimed that particular hit."

She nodded slightly, jaw still clenched.

"Can I take a look?" He asked, pointing at her bandaged arm. She nodded and held it out. His gloved hands started slowly unwrapping the gauze, cursing inwardly when a few layers in, fresh blood had stained the fabric. The wound had undoubtedly reopened at the blow it had received.

He removed the last layer and felt his stomach drop slightly with guilt, drawing a surprised breath in between his clenched teeth.

He hadn't seen the actually cut last night, Mal having already wrapped it up somewhat before Nightwing had gotten the chance to. It was much larger than he had expected. It was narrow and didn't need stitches – otherwise Mal would've given it stitches – but it was much longer than he'd thought, spanning from the left side of her arm right underneath the elbow to the right side of her arm, right above her wrist. A few inches more and the knife could've easily cut through all the veins in her wrist, and Morgan would've bled out in that alley before anyone had had the chance to save her.

Nightwing didn't think Morgan herself even realized how close to death she'd actually come. He opted to not tell her.

"Why didn't you tell me how big it was?" He asked, fixing her with a stern look.

"Hey, I _told_ you my arm was useless." She retaliated.

Nightwing started expertly rewrapping the bandage, tightening it to stop the bleeding. Then he stood up, offering Morgan a hand in assistance.

Normally, she would've ignored his hand and gotten up on her own, but she accepted it this time, which could either mean that she was actually making an effort to get along with him, or she was more weakened by the cut and the pain than she was letting on.

He kind of hoped it was the first one.

"No more training today. Or the next few days." He ordered. "I want you to avoid using that arm as much as possible. And get the bandage changed before you go to bed tonight."

"Aye, captain."

* * *

><p>February 19th<p>

The peace between Morgan and Nightwing had lasted for exactly four days before the two of them seemed to revert to their former bordering-on-hostility relationship. They _could_ hold a conversation without ending up barking at each other, and when they went out on patrol together – which they'd done once since the whole infirmary fiasco, not that Nightwing had let Morgan do anything on that patrol, claiming that her arm still needed 'rest' – they worked together pretty well.

It was when they were out of the professional environment, when they were at the Cave and Morgan had nothing to do that the less than lighthearted bickering occurred.

Morgan took a large bite out of the apple in her hand as she walked into the Cave's main room, spotting Nightwing in front of the huge floating screens, seemingly debriefing a squad on their mission.

Stepping closer, she listened in on the briefing. Nightwing turned and looked at her briefly, identifying who had entered the room.

Turning back to the screen, he started talking. "Investigating the origin of the alien bomb that destroyed the Krolotean invasion force is still a high priority." He informed them. Morgan spotted Miss Martian, Batgirl, Bumble Bee and Wondergirl on the screen, all seated in the Bioship. "We suspect the bomb may have been smuggled to Earth via boom tube. Watchtower sensor scans in Bialya have recorded an uptick in boom tube activity. Alpha squad, your mission is – "

Morgan smirked behind her apple as Cassie eagerly interrupted Nightwing, "Sneak behind enemy lines, recon known boom tube hotspots and find alien tech matching the bomb." She listed. As an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and don't get caught or create an international incident. Right?"

Nightwing paused before he smiled slightly. "That about covers it, yeah." He answered good-naturedly.

He seemed in a friendly mood at the moment.

"Psimon?" Miss Martian asked and Morgan stored the name away for later research. There were still a lot of places, names, people and happenings she had no clue about. She hated when some of the more routined members of the Team offhandedly mentioned something or someone they'd dealt with before and Morgan had no idea what they were talking about.

She contemplated asking Nightwing if there was some sort of database about all of their earlier missions and people they've had dealings with that she could read through to catch up to speed with the others.

"We have confirmation that Bialya's telepathic enforcer's still catatonic in a Quraci hospital." Nightwing answered. "After his last encounter with you." He pressed a few buttons and Morgan bit into her apple again as she saw a picture of a tall, dark woman appear on screen. She was beautiful, but there was something sinister about her that made Morgan weary.

"But Bialya's dictator, Queen Bee, is another story." Nightwing went on, and Morgan realized the woman must've been Queen Bee. "Her ability to control the minds of men is why Alpha is an all-female squad for this mission."

Batgirl immediately latched onto that last part. "Oh really?" She teased, crossing her arms critically over her chest. She was the only one Morgan had met who got to talk to their team leader like that. "And would you have felt the need to justify an all-male squad for a given mission?"

Morgan snickered slightly to herself. Batgirl had a point.

When Bumble Bee crossed her arms critically over her chest, Nightwing's eyes widened slightly, realizing that he'd probably deserved that jab. "Uh, there's no right answer for that, is there?" He sounded uncharacteristically sheepish. "So.. Nightwing out." He cut short their line.

Morgan noisily took another bite of her apple and she saw Nightwing flinch slightly, his back to her, undoubtedly knowing that she was about to unleash some smart-ass comment on his expense.

It wasn't often her mentor made an ass of himself, and Morgan liked to exploit the opportunity when he did.

"_Well_," Morgan drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm. "That went well."

He sighed and turned to face her.

"All female mission, huh?" She causally added, arching an eyebrow. "Wish I could've joined." She smirked slightly when she saw him tense, obviously annoyed that she'd brought that topic to the table once again.

"You know why you can't." He tiredly reminded her.

"Oh?" She cocked her head to the side. "Please remind me. My memory's a little shot."

She let out a yelp when he unexpectedly and quickly shot a hand out and closed it around her wounded arm, squeezing just enough to make the cut sting.

"_That_ is why you're not going." He sternly uttered before he let go. Morgan knew he didn't just mean because she was injured, he also used the cut to remind her of her disobedience. Her ears burned every time he reminded her of that.

Now, a few days later, she really was embarrassed by her own behavior. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to do it.

"Relax, Robin Senior, I was kidding." Morgan rolled her eyes. "I promised to not push the matter, and I'm not."

"Good." He responded shortly before leaving the room.

Morgan rolled her eyes and tugged her left hand into the front pocket of her large, red hoodie.

The day after her trip to the infirmary, she'd walked down to the city with a handful of nails and a hammer. She'd reached the old office building she had been using as hide out for her stuff when she went on patrol, and, after retrieving her bag, she'd nailed the board shut over the window, preventing her from every using it again.

She'd had to wear her biggest shirts, jackets and scarves, as well as tie her wings tightly to her back with belts before she'd gone out. Her charmed necklace was in the bag she had left behind when she'd gotten injured. Her wings had ached at being so restricted, not just by the belts but also because they were buried underneath too many layers of clothing, and Morgan wondered how she'd ever been able to walk around like that all day for several years.

Anyway, she'd gotten her items back and slipped the necklace on, hurrying home so she could free her feathered body parts as soon as possible.

When she'd gotten home, she had given them a bit of extra attention, cleaning them and given her feathers a check-up to make sure they were all whole and positioned correctly.

Then she'd sat on her bed for half an hour, marveling at how much her opinion of her own wings had changed in the past few months. Back then, having them on display made her uncomfortable. Now, having to hide them made her uncomfortable. They were her defining trait as a superhero, and hiding them away seemed disrespectful, like she was ashamed of the work she'd done with their assistance.

Hiding her wings felt like forsaking her future as a superhero.

Morgan took a final bite of her apple and threw it into the nearest trash can, leaving the empty room behind.

She remembered a quote her dad used to tell her. "Den, der kun tager spøg for spøg, og alvor kun alvorligt, han og hun har faktisk fattet begge dele lige dårligt." She mumbled to herself.

In essence, the quote basically meant that someone who considered a joke to simply be a joke and a serious matter to be only serious, they had misunderstood both things.

He'd told her that a joke always held an ounce of seriousness to it, and a serious matter always had a bit of a joke hidden in it somewhere.

The saying applied very well to her current situation. She joked about wishing she could go on missions to cover up for the fact that there was _nothing she wanted more_.

During a typical week, the only times she had an excuse to leave Mount Justice was when she had to go to school. And she kind of hated her school, so she always rued leaving the Cave. She wanted, _needed_ to go out and _do_ something soon, or she'd simply explode. Going out on patrols alone behind the others' backs had been a stupid thing to do, but at the time it felt like it was the only thing that kept her from going insane.

It was even worse when she got to watch the others leave to and from missions in a steady stream. She was envious of them.

And when she found herself mostly alone in the Cave because the others were out fighting crime, she missed her mother all the more.

* * *

><p>February 26th<p>

It was a month and a week ago that Nightwing had first spotted the posters about Morgan going missing and guilt was eating at his insides.

He still had no idea what he was supposed to do about it. Uncertainty had stopped him from doing anything, but he knew that something had to be done soon. Morgan needed to know that her mother was looking for her.

He was just unsure of how he should go about telling her.

The last month had been ridiculously busy for Nightwing, to the point where he'd pushed the dilemma to the very back of his mind. But now – he wasn't sure if the criminals of the world had decided to finally just _chill_ for a few days or if he'd just gotten better at handling his workload, but he found himself with more free time on his hands.

And with free time came time to contemplate things that weren't directly Team related, or, as he personally called it, 'Guilt Time'.

Nightwing had spent at least an hour wondering how to properly spring the news on her. Because, seriously, if he told her that he'd known for a month and _not_ found the time to inform her, she'd probably use her telekinesis to bash his head into the nearest wall.

In the end, he decided to _show_ her instead of tell her. Her arm was mostly healed by now and he deemed it safe to take her on patrol with him in Gotham – a patrol that would _coincidently _end up with her stumbling across the posters if Nightwing played his cards right.

So, when he showed up in the Cave relatively late at night and told her to gear up, he was relieved at how eager she was and how few questions she asked. She'd been watching a movie with Beast Boy in the living room, only wearing a pair of shorts and an oversized hoodie – and _no_ the sight of her bare legs totally didn't remind him of when he'd had to unhook that necklace from around her thigh those weeks ago – but at the mention of going on a patrol, she'd forgotten all about the low budget action movie and instead leapt out of the couch faster than he'd through her capable off and practically flown – which, you know, was actually a possibility but this was in the metaphorical sense – to her room to change into her Sparrow gear.

They'd arrived in Gotham twenty minutes later via Zeta tube.

"So, where to first?" She eagerly asked.

Nightwing paused, wondering how to best go about this.

Okay, he'd been lying when he told her they were going on patrol, so what?

Nightwing had realized that once she found the posters, she'd probably want to see her mother as soon as possible. And he didn't want her to arrive home looking like she'd been in a fight.

This whole situation needed to be executed as carefully as possible because so many things could go wrong.

Morgan could refuse to see her mother and then Nightwing would have a crappy Morgan on his hands for _weeks._ Her mother could behave less than graciously towards her daughter once she arrived, if she did.

Both possible problems. But they were problems Nightwing really couldn't do much about.

But there were other aspects of the night he _did_ have some control over. Like, for example, if everything went well, and both Morgan and her mother were interested in talking to the other, he didn't want Morgan to arrive at her mother's doorstep with a few missing teeth and bruises covering her face.

Her mother would know about the superhero business the moment she saw her daughter in the costume, being escorted by _Nightwing _of all people, and Nightwing thought he knew enough about parents – that is, normal parents, unlike his own.. So, parents that were neither dead nor dressed up as a Bat to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham's criminals at night – to know that her mother would worry about her daughter engaging people in fights on a regular basis.

If Morgan showed up looking she'd received a beating, it would not help matters.

So he wanted her to see those posters before they had the chance to engage in any fights.

And for that very specific purpose, he'd decided to introduce her to one of his dearest possessions.

His trusty Nightwing-bike.

It wasn't really a _Nightwing_ bike, per say, it was really just a huge, black, motorcycle with a shit-load of adjustments made to it so it could better assist him in his crime-fighting business.

"I figured we could try traveling the city a bit differently tonight." He revealed as he approached the dark corner he'd parked the bike in, right next to the Zeta tube exit they'd just walked out of.

"Really? How?" Morgan sounded curious, in an altogether agreeable mood. It seemed they only really got along when they beat up people together.

That had to be unhealthy on some many levels.

"On this." As he said it, he pressed a button on the keys to the bike and it roared to life in front of them, Morgan nearly jumping out of her skin.

Nightwing had gotten his dramatic flair from Batman, he mentally decided.

The girl let out a gleeful gasp as she approached the beast of a motor cycle. "Dude!" She exclaimed, obviously already in love with it. "You have _got_ to let me drive this thing sometime!"

Nightwing pretended to contemplate it. In his mind's eye, he could already see his bike, crashed beyond repair, and Morgan earning herself a ticket to the local hospital.

"Absolutely not." He answered. Nobody got to ride this bike but him. "But I'll let you ride shotgun."

He jumped onto the seat and offered her a hand so she could slip in behind him. The seat was easily big enough to carry two people, and Morgan kept a respectful distance behind him.

The respectful distance lasted for about two seconds. Then Nightwing floored it, and Morgan let out a squeak before wrapping her arms firmly around him from behind, her much shorter body pushed flush against his broad back.

He really hadn't considered _that_ aspect of the ride, Nightwing realized as he forced himself to pay attention to the road and not how he could feel her chest pressed to his back.

His plan was to speed through the streets so fast that she wouldn't get the chance to spot any criminal activity going on around them. It worked pretty well for about ten minutes, when the sounds of gun-shots and tires squealing along the pavement reached their ears, and Morgan's head shot up in the direction she'd heard it.

"It's over there!" She shouted to drown out the constant roar of the bike's engine underneath them. "Go!"

Nightwing inwardly cursed but changed directions so he was heading down the side street they could hear the commotion coming from. Somebody just _had_ to choose tonight to engage in an armed car chase.

This was _not_ how he'd planned for the night to go.

* * *

><p>An actual car chase.<p>

Morgan was about to engage in an _actual _car chase.

She realized that a normal person probably wouldn't, _shouldn't,_ be feeling giddy about that, but she hadn't been normal since she was thirteen years old.

As it where, she scooted closer to Nightwing so she could use his shoulders to pull herself up and peak over him at what was going on.

There were three vehicles speeding down the street as they attempted to flee the crime scene they'd left behind. It looked like a normal late-night robbery at a normal bank, which didn't quite explain why one of the vehicles were being chased by the other two, the two sides exchanging bullets every once in a while.

"That bank is primarily used by the mob. The owner is involved in some seedy business at the side. Somebody must've been stupid enough to rob it, despite knowing how protective the mob gets about their money." Nightwing explained, and Morgan immediately understood why the black van was being chased by the other two. The two vehicles chasing the first one looked like military jeeps and Morgan figured they'd been 'acquired' without the military's consent.

Nightwing sped up and Morgan immediately wrapped her arms around his middle again to avoid falling off the bike.

They caught up to the three cars in no time, the motorbike's smaller size making it much easier to maneuver down the streets.

"We need to somehow slow them down!" Nightwing shouted over his shoulder. "Any ideas?"

"Hold on." Morgan answered and hoisted herself up so she could see again. It was terrifying work due to the speed they traveled at, but she comforted herself with realizing that if she fell off the bike, she could simply spread her wings and she'd fly instead of crash to the pavement.

Still, as she got to her knees, her left arm clinging to his shoulder and collar bone for balance, she kept her wings firmly folded against her back to avoid the added wind resistance. If she spread her wings now, she'd get thrown off the bike immediately because of the wind.

She studied the jeep and tried to pinpoint its weak spot.

Basically, she tried to figure out which part of the jeep she should take mental control of and rip out.

"Maybe I can take out one of the tires." Morgan bent low so she spoke right next to his ear, his wind-blown hair strands tickling her cheek.

"At the speed they're going, you'll risk making the truck topple and endanger the people around us." Nightwing pointed out. "Do you think you could brake the entire car instead?"

Morgan frowned as she looked at it. "I can only throw stuff _around_; I can't make it stop in its tracks." She reminded him.

To be honest, Morgan sometimes herself had trouble understanding how her powers worked. Why she _had_ to use her arms but knew the power came from mind control. Why some things were easier to manipulate than others. Why it was only good for throwing things around and couldn't do the same things that M'gann could like making things hover in the air or levitate things around gently.

Morgan's power only had one setting: violent.

"But_ if_ we got the car to slow down, could you take out one of the tires?" Nightwing asked.

Morgan contemplated it for a moment. She'd never attempted to use her powers on tires before. She knew that controlling steel and rock were the easiest. Organic things and water were the most difficult. It was like the harder and more compact the thing was, the easier it was to control it.

"I, uh," She wet her bottom lip, the wind drying it up. "I think so? I've never tried them before."

"But you _think_ you could do it?" He repeated.

"Uh. Yes. Yes, I think I could do it."

"Alright." He decided, a finality in his voice that made Morgan slightly nervous. Her word, however doubting it had been, was apparently enough for him. "Then let's do this."

Morgan let out a surprised squeak and tightened her grip on him, aware that her entire front and her thighs were pressed to his back, when he suddenly sped up and crossed in front of the closest jeep. Her braided hair whipped at her back as the wind pulled at it.

He slowed down, forcing the truck to slow too. It tried to swerve around him, but every time, Nightwing moved the bike in front of them again. Morgan could hear annoyed and angered shouting from inside the truck, especially when the people inside noticed that this wasn't just some idiots with a bike and a death wish, it was two superheroes.

One of them stuck his entire upper body out of the jeep and started firing at them with a semi-automatic.

Nightwing bit out a curse and leaned forward to make himself less of a target, telling Morgan to do the same. Morgan clung even tighter to him and closed her eyes in fear when Nightwing started swerving from side to side to make hitting them harder.

"We need to put that jeep out of commission before they put _us _out of commission!" Nightwing shouted over the sound of the motor's rumbling and the gunshots being fired at them.

Morgan forced her eyed open and looked up, scanning their surroundings. "This street is completely empty!" She yelled. "Can I try to stop the jeep now?"

Nightwing hesitated for a moment.

"Do it." He answered. Morgan leaned closer when she hadn't heard what he'd said. "Do it!" He repeated.

She let go of him with her right arm and repositioned her left one so it firmly held onto him from directly below his armpit and across his chest. She twisted her body in her seat, trying to get as good a look at the truck behind them as she could without falling off the bike.

Once this was over, Morgan decided, she would swear off riding Motorcycles. It didn't matter how awesome they looked.

She concentrated on the left front tire, her arm stretched out as she attempted to fix her mental eye on it like she usually did.

Before, when she'd gained control of something, she'd always been able to tell that she had. It was like a puzzle piece slipped into place in her head and she was never in doubt when her telekinesis worked.

She wasn't getting that feeling right now.

The tire was proving difficult to zero in on with her telekinesis, not only because it was a foreign material, but also because it was moving at such a high speed. Immobile objects were always easier than objects that moved.

"We're headed straight for a bridge, Morgan." Nightwing informed her. "If you're doing this, you'll have to do it _now!_"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" She barked, gritting her teeth together in frustration as she kept spreading out her fingers, never getting that proper feeling of control. She felt a bead of sweat travel down her temple, both with nerves and because of the mental exertion she was putting on herself.

"Morgan!" Nightwing shouted when time was running up.

Letting out a shriek of frustration, she closed her eyes and spread her hand, pulling sideways with all she had.

* * *

><p>So I guess that could be concidered a cliff hanger. Haven't really made a lot of those so far in this story.<p>

I won't bother with any translations for the danish because I already explained what she said. You guys haven't missed anything, promise.

Fun fact: The probability of me deciding to write a story basically depends on how many songs I can relate to said story. You see, I listen to music A LOT, so if I find that a lot of the music I'm listening to makes me think of a specific story, that also means that I'll be thinking about that story a lot more than I usually would, until I simply can't help but write it. Feathers is a story that I have SO MANY songs for. Seriously, the story has an entire playlist to itself in my Itunes library, for when I simply need to soak in my ideas. (A lot of that music is disney, actually.)


	21. Mommy Issues

Chapter Twenty One

Mommy Issues

The split second before she moved her arm, she felt the puzzle piece slip into place. Immense relief coursed through her entire body when the tire she'd focused on lurched sideways before detaching itself, bringing the jeep with it. It wobbled on two wheels for a moment before it toppled to the side, the two men inside trapped for the moment.

Three police cars – she wasn't sure when they'd arrived, but this was Gotham, she knew how effective the police had to be – surrounded the truck as half a dozen others kept driving, keeping up with the car chase at a safe distance. They must've spotted the two heroes and known to keep their distance, letting Sparrow and Nightwing do their business in peace.

Maybe _peace_ was the wrong word, Morgan mused when the truck directly in front of the motorcycle started firing at them and they had to hide behind the windscreen that was, conveniently, bulletproof.

"How do we deal with that one?" Morgan asked Nightwing, leaning as close to his ear as she could to make communicating easier.

"Can't you just take out a wheel like before?"

The tire had been an entirely new thing, and given how big the truck was, it had taken quite a lot of force to get it to move at all.

Morgan swallowed before shaking her head. Remembering that Nightwing couldn't see the movement, she spoke out loud. "I think I've exhausted my telekinetic capacity for tonight."

"Wait, you can actually _run out of_ mental capacity?" Nightwing disbelievingly asked.

"I'd explain the details to you but I think we should save it for a time when we aren't being shot at!" Morgan retaliated. "Now, how do we take out the next truck?"

"I have some spikes designed to tear through all kinds of tires. They'll get the job done."

"Where are they?" Morgan demanded. Obviously, Nightwing couldn't get them himself when he was busy avoiding gunshots.

"Left front pouch on my belt." He loudly replied.

Arms wrapped around his waist, she reached for the pouch and opened it, and after digging through some other small gadgets that Morgan didn't know what did – but they looked high tech and cool – she found three of the small spiked balls at the very bottom of the pouch.

Nightwing swerved around a car and Morgan tightened her grip on him, now pulled flush against his back. Morgan had thought about that sort of thing lots of times, but she'd never imagined that the first time she managed to practically get to second base with a guy, it would be on a speeding motor cycle with_ Nightwing _of all people, while they were getting shot at.

She wasn't sure if she should be laughing or not at her sad lack of a romantic life.

Nightwing sped further ahead, managing to get up on the driver's side of the jeep, making shooting at them harder.

The three balls in her hand looked altogether unassuming, the spikes certainly not big enough to puncture the big, sturdy tires of a military jeep. Morgan figured there must've been more to them than met the eye.

"How do they work?" She asked Nightwing, unwilling to throw them at the jeep until she was sure they didn't need to be activated somehow.

"There should be a red spike on each of them. You have to twist it."

Morgan flipped over one of the spheres and spotted, in the midst of grey steel spikes, one that had been painted red. She grabbed hold of the spike and twisted it once clockwise.

Immediately, the spikes on the ball grew to thrice their original size, making the thing look like a vicious sea urchin.

"Got it." She announced once she'd repeated the procedure on the other two.

"I'll drive in front of the truck so you can drop them. Be quick about it, this guy has better aim than the one from before!" Nightwing warned before flooring it.

Morgan nodded resolutely, resisting the urge to tell him that she'd actually had terrible aim all her life.

"Please hit, please hit, please hit.." she mumbled under her breath as she released the three spiked spheres.

Morgan let out a whoop of joy and fist-bumped the air when the right front-tire exploded, the car swerving off the road. The truck barreled through a picket fence and into some poor sod's front yard, crashing into the huge oak tree in the middle of the lawn.

Morgan grimaced slightly, knowing that some house owner's night was about to get extremely sucky.

"Two down, one to go." Nightwing mumbled in front of her.

"Okay, so we're out of spiky-balls and we're out of telekinetic voodoo shit, what do we do now?" Morgan loudly asked.

"We go with plan A again." Nightwing firmly told her. "Try to slow them down."

He sped up for a third time and intercepted the black van in a matter of seconds. Morgan let out a startled gasp when they – after creating a decent amount of distance – slowed down too abrupt for her liking, the van behind them braking so hard the tires squealed against the rough asphalt. Nightwing turned the bike so it's side was facing the approaching vehicle, Morgan instinctively grabbed hold of his shoulder as she watched the van get nearer.

The van, despite attempting to slow down as hard as it could, was still headed straight for the two heroes, and Morgan prepared to fly off if they came too close for comfort.

She could only hope Nightwing had planned some sort of escape route himself. She couldn't carry both of them.

Luckily, the people in the van seemed to want to avoid flattening the two teenage superheroes, and the van swerved to the side abruptly. It lost its balance with the sudden movement and tipped over to the side, much like the first jeep had done.

"Well," Morgan swallowed loudly to get rid of the lump in her throat. "That one almost defeated itself for us."

She breathed out a deep sigh of relief. Beneath her, she could hear the engine being killed as Nightwing shut the bike down and jumped off it.

Morgan shakily got off as well. "How did you know they'd swerve?" She asked.

"I didn't." Nightwing admitted and Morgan's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth dropping open in shock.

The police arrived just as Nightwing pulled the two unconscious men in the front seats of the toppled van out through the car door that was currently facing the night sky. Morgan opened the back of the van, finding another unconscious man in there. This one looked a little worse for wear, having probably been thrown around like a ragdoll when the van fell over. He was lying on a bed of dollar bills. She was sure they'd been stacked neatly before, but now they were everywhere in a right mess.

"Come on." Nightwing approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder briefly. "The police will deal with the rest of this. We need to get going."

Morgan frowned, wondering why he seemed so urgent, but followed obediently after him.

They jumped back onto the bike, and Nightwing sped through Gotham once again. He was driving so fast Morgan barely got to scout their surroundings, making it almost impossible for her to locate any potential crime they should be fighting. She almost told him to slow down.

She recognized that they were entering the poorer part of Gotham, relatively close to her old home, actually.

Nightwing drove on for another five minutes before he suddenly slowed down and headed for a dark street, where he parked his bike.

"Let's go." He ordered and walked swiftly down the street. Morgan ran after him, doing her best to keep up with his long strides.

"Nightwing, where are we go-"

Morgan stopped her own words short when she spotted a lamppost with a poster on it.

More specifically, a 'Missing' poster.

Even more specifically, a 'Missing' poster with her name and face on it.

Her stomach sank into her feet, her heart joining it soon after, and all air was knocked from her lungs.

For a moment she simply stood, _gaping_ at the poster with her jaw practically hanging around her knees. She'd have been worried about insects flying in if it hadn't been winter.

Her mom was looking for her.

Morgan wasn't sure what this meant.

Did her mom want to reconcile?

She dearly hoped so.

Morgan looked at Nightwing briefly and found him patiently watching her next to the poster.

"You," Morgan swallowed dryly and blinked rapidly to erase the tears attempting to build up in her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry. "You brought me here on purpose." She licked her lower lip in thought as she nodded her head absentmindedly, his urgent and strange behavior all night suddenly making sense.

"Tonight wasn't about fighting crime at all, was it?" She clarified. "You just needed to show me this poster."

Nightwing nodded wordlessly and redirected his eyes to the pavement underneath them. "I've known for some time. I thought you deserved to know too."

He looked up at her again, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. Morgan unconsciously mimicked the movement, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"I wasn't sure how you'd react to finding out, and I'm not going to tell you what_ I_ think you should do, but I thought you should at least know that she's looking for you."

"I-" Morgan paused, more confused and uncertain than she'd ever been before. Her mind was filled with doubts and fears, but in the end, her decision was easily made. "I want to see her. Now."

Nightwing nodded, looking like he'd expected her to say that. Somehow, she couldn't even be mad at him for keeping it from her.

"And then, if it ends badly," Morgan shrugged. "At least she'll know I'm alive and being taken care of. Well," She smirked slightly, halfheartedly, "As much as going on wild car chases and beating up criminals is getting taken care of."

Nightwing quirked one corner of his mouth up in wry humor. "Let's go, then." He encouraged.

* * *

><p>"You're supposed to knock." Nightwing pointed out after Morgan had stared at her mother's – and Morgan's former – front door for almost a full minute.<p>

"I _know_ that." She snapped, aiming a halfhearted glare at him.

Before she lost her nerve again, Morgan brought a hand up and knocked three times on the door. The sound seemed impossibly loud, vibrating through her bones. Or maybe that was just Morgan shaking with nerves.

A million thoughts ran through her head as she waited for a response. How could she even know her mom would be home? Typically, her mother would be on a nightshift at the hospital on a night like this. How would her mom react when she saw her? How was _Morgan_ supposed to react?

She self-consciously folded her wings against her back, wishing that she'd have her pendant on so her wings were hidden. Then Morgan reminded herself that her mom already knew about the wings. She just wasn't sure how she felt about them. She heard footsteps behind the closed door and her eyes widened in petrified anticipation. Her eyes darted to both sides, unconsciously looking for an escape route.

Nightwing clasped a hand on her shoulder briefly, as if he guessed her thoughts of running away. Or maybe to remind her that she wasn't alone. Either way, the movement comforted her.

The door knob turned and Morgan found herself face to face with a woman she hadn't seen in months, but hadn't gone a day without thinking about.

Abigail looked confused as she opened the door, probably wondering why anyone was knocking on it this late at night. Then she spotted her daughter and she froze.

Morgan, realizing she was still wearing her mask, quickly slipped it off. "Hi mom." She timidly said.

She studied her mother's face for a second, taking in the sight of her, relishing it. She looked older than she'd done before, lines around her eyes and mouth that hadn't been there before. A few gray hairs stuck out in her otherwise straight auburn hair, the exact opposite of her daughters.

Abigail let out a surprised and joyful sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob and then she launched herself at her daughter.

The knots in Morgan's stomach disappeared as she fiercely returned the hug, tears springing forth before she could even think to blink them away.

She'd never cried in front of Nightwing before. There had been a few close calls, but not like this. This was ugly sobbing and rivers of salty tears slipping down her face as her and her mother laughed and cried and embraced each other in the dark hallway.

"My baby.." Her mother mumbled into her braided hair. "My little baby."

Eventually – Morgan couldn't tell how long they'd stood there, hugging – they pulled back and her mother looked between Morgan and Nightwing, obviously knowing that there was a story to be told here.

"Come in, Come in!" She encouraged and stepped further into the apartment, waving her arms at the two teenagers.

Morgan walked through the door with an ease only someone who'd done it hundreds of times before could. Nightwing followed slowly behind. He'd yet to say anything and Morgan worried that he'd go for the 'silent and stoic' type thing while they spoke with her mom.

Morgan could see her mother eyeing her wings with an unreadable expression on her face as the three of them shuffled into the kitchen. Morgan hopped onto their small dinner table, her legs dangling off the side. Abigail shuffled around the room as she set to work filling a pitcher with Morgan's favorite lemonade and set out three glasses as well as a plate of cookies. Perhaps the action was to instill some normalcy in this highly abnormal situation.

Nightwing took up space by the counter, standing behind and to the left of Morgan and her mother.

"Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions.." Morgan started out awkwardly, nibbling at a cookie. For once, her mother hadn't commented on Morgan sitting on the table, instead sitting herself down by the table on one of the four chairs around it.

"Do I ever!" Her mom agreed as she stirred in the tea she'd prepared for herself before Morgan and Nightwing arrived. "I've been searching for you for months now! I didn't alert the police because I was afraid they'd find out about your wings and take you away, but I've been putting up posters everywhere." Her mom explained. "I have so many questions.. But let's start with the biggest one. Where have you been all this time?"

Morgan grimaced, unsure how much she was allowed to say. She supposed the whole 'I joined a team of teenage superheroes' was kind of obvious as she sat in her costume, escorted by Nightwing. She glanced at her mentor, holding a silent conversation with him and he gave a small nod, confirming that she was allowed to tell her mother everything she'd been up to.

"Well.." Morgan fiddled with her hands. "I kind of joined a team. Of superheroes." She cleared her throat and launched into the story. "After you saw – ya know – I kind of ran away and the same night I was approached by two superheroes and they already knew about my – you know –"

"Your wings?" Her mother helpfully supplied. "You can call them what they are. I've come to terms with the fact that my daughter has.. wings."

"Alright, so anyway, they knew about my wings and they decided I'd have potential as a superhero and I've been with them since, training and fighting." Morgan quickly summed up. She saw her mother's eyes repeatedly shift to Nightwing and realized she might need to explain that too. She pointed her thumb behind her at Nightwing. "Mister 'Tall, dark and handsome' here is – "

"I'm Nightwing." He suddenly spoke up, to Morgan's surprise. He pushed himself away from the counter in a fluid movement and politely offered her mother his hand. "I'm the one that found out about your daughters wings."

Abigail accepted the handshake, sending Morgan a look, like, _girl, _and Morgan rolled her eyes.

"Nightwing's the one responsible for my training and stuff. He teaches me how to fight." And unable to resist she added, clapping a mock-fond hand on Nightwing's back. "This guy has beaten me up more than a school yard bully would ever have the heart to."

Morgan smirked at the slight narrowing of her mother's eyes.

Her mom straightened in her chair and studied Morgan briefly. "As your mother, I'm pretty sure it's my duty to ask: Is it very dangerous? The things you do?"

The brief memory of a bomb exploding in an underground layer flashed through her mind, quickly followed by another memory of a very recent car chase where getting shot to death had been a very distinct possibility. "No! Not at all." She lied, unconsciously tracing the tight stitches her left sleeve had been adorned with after she'd gotten stabbed through the fabric. "It's very low key. I mostly just beat up a few small-time criminals. It's easy stuff."

She could see Nightwing shift in the corner of her eye as if about to deflate her ball of lies, but he thankfully stayed silent.

What they were doing was _very_ dangerous, life threatening even. But Morgan's mom couldn't know that. She'd die an early death, put to the grave with worry over her daughter. Morgan didn't want that. She wanted her mom to go through her life as usual without having to worry about being approached by a superhero someday to tell her that her daughter had 'fallen in the line of duty'.

Her lie was apparently convincing because Abigail nodded and fixed her eyes onto her daughters grey wings.

"So are you.." Her mom paused and then rephrased her words. "Do you know _why_ you have wings?"

Morgan sighed and shrugged. "No. They're just kinda there."

Her mom pushed her lips tightly together, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"Oh," Morgan suddenly remembered her other power that her mom also knew nothing about. "And there is another thing. I can move things. Without touching them. I move things around with my mind."

Her mom's eyes widened to double size as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, obviously not sure how to respond. "Where is all of this _coming_ from?" She eventually asked incredulously. "I swear Morgan, I'm just a normal human!"

Morgan nodded. "I know mom. All the tests we did proved the same. I'm totally human. I just happen to have abilities. We're still working on figuring out why."

Abigail nodded and took a long sip from her tea. By now, Morgan had moved into a chair, finding it easier to talk to her mom when she was facing her.

"So what now?" Her mom asked after a moment of silence. "What will you do? Are you moving back in?"

Morgan seriously contemplated it for a moment. "I can't." She admitted. "I mean, I could, but my life would get infinitely more complicated if I had to travel to the Cave every time I had to train or hang out with the others. I've grown.. fond of the place I am now. We live several people together so I'm not lonely. Besides," She smiled ruefully. "The less contact we have, the lesser danger there is of anyone going after you to get to me."

Abigail frowned at this, as if she hadn't considered before that her daughter was going to make enemies in her new line of work. She looked like she was about to lecture Morgan on safety, but she stopped herself and studied her instead.

She concluded that Morgan looked happier, healthier and freer that she'd looked for the past five years. There was a shine to her eyes and an easy smile on her lips that Abigail hadn't seen there since her father had left eight years ago.

Ultimately, she also knew that her daughter was legally an adult and she couldn't tell her to stop. She could only distance them from each other by disapproving, something she didn't want. They'd just bridged the gap in their relationship, she didn't want to ruin that.

"Well, at least promise me you'll come visit every once in a while." Abigail said, smiling tiredly at her daughter.

Morgan nodded.

Soft feet padding across the floor and a short mewl made everyone look at the door where Morgan's cat stood, staring at the group of three.

"Percy!" Morgan exclaimed and dropped to her knees on the floor. The cat walked across the floor and leapt onto her shoulder, accepting the scratch she offered.

"If it's alright with you," Morgan turned to her mom again. "I'd like to collect some stuff from my room before we leave again."

Abigail stood too. "Of course. Go right ahead."

Morgan smiled gratefully at her mom and turned to Nightwing. "C'mon, I'll show you around."

She left the kitchen and found herself in the small hallway that led to the small living room, the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Morgan could tell that Nightwing was eyeing her cat as it kept its casual perch on her shoulder.

Opening her bedroom door, Morgan felt a rush of familiarity as she took in her old room. Staring around the chaotically organized room, exactly as she'd left it; it somehow also looked foreign, like a memory from a past life.

"I'll be really quick about it, I just have a few things I need to collect." She told him and bent down – Percy hopped off her shoulder and approached her tall mentor, brushing affectionately against his legs, purring.

Morgan watched the exchange, chuckling to herself at the uncomfortable look on Nightwing's face.

"He's very affectionate. Loves everyone." She explained as she peaked under her bed, dragging out a large, grey duffle bag. "So don't think you're special."

They were silent for a moment as Morgan emptied the bag of what looked like used gym clothes.

"Why did you lie?" Nightwing suddenly asked.

"You know why." She replied quietly, opening her underwear drawer and stuffing a few panties and bras in the bag. "If my mom knew what we were _really _doing on a regular basis, she'd lose ten years of her lifespan with worry. I don't want her to constantly worry about me."

"What if you're killed then?" Nightwing immediately shot back. "What if you're killed in action and your mother wasn't prepared for that to happen at all? Don't you think _that_ will shorten her lifespan with at least ten years?"

Morgan shrugged with a blank look on her face and kept her eyes firmly fixed on her work. She unplugged her laptop and put it in its casing before placing it in the bag too. "People die in accidents every day. Their families aren't prepared for that either."

She chanced a quick peek at him. He looked like he really wanted to protest but also knew that it wasn't his place to. She decided to leave the matter there, unwilling to start fighting with him when her mother was in the next room. She'd start worrying even more if she thought Morgan wasn't getting along with the person that was supposed to make sure she was skilled enough to not get killed in a fight.

She shuffled around the room, pulling some of her favorite clothes into the bag, her jewelry joining soon after. A few books, including a diary, were thrown into it as well.

"You knit?" Nightwing suddenly asked and Morgan turned in her spot, seeing her mentor stand next to her old nightstand, her knitting gear in hand. A colorful, half finished scarf dangled from his grip.

Color rushed to her cheeks even as she firmly reminded herself that it was nothing to be embarrassed about. She shrugged and stepped closer, snatching the yarn and knitting needles from his hand. "Yeah. Helps me relax." She said as she stuffed it into her bag too. "It's not like I'm good at it or anything. I just do scarves, really."

She opened her closet and pulled out a pair of completely black converse as well as a pair of sandals and winter boots.

"Aaand done." She announced, standing up straight and pulling the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

Percy bound across the room to rub against her calves, purring loudly as he did. She bent down and petted the cat, sad she'd have to leave him again. But the life of a superhero was no place for a cat.

She left the room and then found her mother still seated in the kitchen, absentmindedly stroking her index finger on the rim of her steaming mug of tea.

Abigail looked up at the sound of them in the doorway and Morgan thought she already looked a few years older than when she'd first seen her half an hour ago.

It left a stinging sensation of guilt in her chest, but Morgan pushed through it. Her mom would get used to the thought of Morgan being a superhero eventually. She'd always worry, Morgan didn't doubt this, but at some point, the anxiety would fade into a dull thought at the back of her mind every once in a while. Morgan just had to avoid dying and they'd be all set.

"We're ready." She said softly. In a way, she was sad that she'd have to leave her mother so soon after being reunited with her, but she feared that the separation would only get harder the longer she stayed. As she picked absentmindedly at a loose string on her bag, Morgan vowed to herself that she'd visit her mom as soon as possible.

Realizing that her mother had spent Christmas alone – quite possibly the worst Christmas ever as she'd undoubtedly been spending it worrying over her missing daughter, Morgan made a mental note to go buy her mom a Christmas present. They'd have a small Christmas here in the end of February, maybe early March, watch a few Christmas movies, bake cookies and exchange gifts.

Head full of ideas on how to make up for the lost time, she hugged her mom tightly and placed a kiss on her cheek, trying to ignore the tears in her mother's eyes. Tears she knew would fall once Morgan and Nightwing left.

"I'll call you tomorrow." Morgan promised and wrote her new number down on a piece of paper. "And I promise to visit soon."

Her mom smiled brightly at the prospect, though the look was ruined by her wet eyes.

Stepping through the door and letting Nightwing close it behind her was one of the hardest things Morgan had ever done.

She was silent as Nightwing drove them back to the Zeta tube.

Arriving at the site, she paused. "You're going home now, aren't you?"

"Blüdhaven, yeah." Nightwing confirmed.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." Morgan stared straight ahead. As much as leaving behind her mother had hurt, Morgan still felt lighter than she'd done in a long time. Reconciling with her mom had been like taking in a breath of fresh, clean air after being stuck in a dusty old room for months. And she owed it all to Nightwing. She felt a newfound rush of affection aimed towards her serious mentor and mentally promised them both to make an effort to be more compliant from now on.

Fixing her eyes on her mentor who was lingering by his bike, waiting for her to use the Zeta tube first, she voiced her gratitude. "Thank you.. for showing me. It means a lot."

Before she could chicken out – before she could even consider what she was doing – She reached up and, because she was too short to reach his cheek, placed a quick peck on his jaw line.

Turning before she could see his facial expression, Morgan ducked her head, hiding behind her curly bangs, hoisted the duffle bag further up on her shoulder and stepped through the Zeta tube, arriving back at the Cave in a second.

_"__B23 Sparrow."_ The detatched female voice from the tube announced as she found herself in a familiar environment. Before, the voice had called her Morgan, but Nightwing had changed it once they agreed on her superhero alias.

Lugging the heavy duffle behind her, Morgan found her room in no time and crashed tiredly onto her bed, deciding to stow her things away in the morning.

* * *

><p>And Morgan finally has one less thing to be angsty about. Hooray!<p>

Last chapter didn't get a whole lotta reviews.. Did I do something wrong?

And, just for fun, I have a question for you guys! Which Hogwarts house would _you_ sort Morgan into? I already took a test on her behalf (I just know my characters _that_ well ;D), but I'm curious about where you think she belongs!

Fun fact: I'm starting to run out of fun facts to tell you guys. (But I really love the fun fact thing, so I'm going to keep it.) Wait! I got one now: Because I listen to a LOT of disney music when writing, I have soooo many AUs for Morgan and Dick that takes place in different disneyverses. My personal favourite is the Aladdin AU.


	22. Unknown Energy Impulse

Chapter Twenty Two

Unknown Energy Impulse

February 28th

When Morgan had run away and joined a team of teenage superheroes, she hadn't really expected homework to be part of the deal.

And yet here she was, studying up on some of the Team's former missions.

In her years of solitude, Morgan had always had a lot of time on her hands. Not having any friends tended to do that. The girl was also someone that hated feeling idle – one of the main reasons why she kept fighting Nightwing over going on missions – so she'd used a lot of her spare time on doing her homework. In the past five years, there was not a single school assignment she had missed a deadline on. The same day the work had been assigned, she'd go home and spend hours on it. She'd write the very best she could and then she'd go back and delete the best parts, add spelling and grammar errors, and make sure the assignment only just barely met the length requirements.

In her attempt at seeming as average as possible, she always made sure that her work was somewhere between a B and a C – with the exception of biology where she kept her line of straight A's intact. Even so, she always made sure to do a really good piece of work first so her intelligence wouldn't suffer from her average work. Morgan wasn't stupid. She knew that if she got herself used to only getting C's and B's, she'd eventually forget how to write something good enough for a top score.

Still, it stung her pride a bit every time she intentionally answered a question with the wrong answer.

Anyway, the point was, because of all her spare time, she'd gained a very clear work ethic, always making sure her work was done before its deadline. So all of her school assignments were already done and she had an entire Sunday to herself. Since joining the business, she obviously suddenly had much less time to actually do her homework, but it was also a lot easier to do now because she'd stopped intentionally worsening the quality of her work and now only needed to worry about doing her homework once, as well as she could, without having to edit it afterwards.

Despite having less time to do her homework, she always managed to find time for it anyway. She was getting used to sleeping less because of all the late night patrols she was doing anyways, no use trying to maintain a normal sleeping pattern. Some days were worse than others and she'd started drinking buckets of coffee on those particular days.

Today was not one of those days thankfully, and she'd gotten a good night's sleep the day before, resulting in an entire day where she had nothing to do but her usual training routines and spar with Nightwing. So she found a way to stave off the boredom.

Another thing she'd done to waste away time in her former eventless life was read. She read a _lot_, for hours on end. And she'd gotten good at it, reading faster than the average teenager.

So, now that all of her homework was finished, she'd already going through her usual training exercises, the Cave was strangely devoid of people to hang out with and Nightwing was busy doing something on the Cave's computer – she thought he'd said something about decoding some Krolotean data but she wasn't sure, she hadn't paid attention at the time – she had found an alternative use of her time. She'd asked her mentor if they had any of the Team's history written down and he'd downloaded a long list of summaries of their former missions onto her computer. All of the documents contained the date and then a brief summary of the missions in itself and then a slightly longer explanation of how the mission had actually went – Morgan soon learned that basically all of their missions were supposed to be covert but always ended with the Team blowing shit up. The only reason the Team was still allowed to go on was probably because they always managed to show positive results despite their slightly chaotic approach. After the mission layout there was a complete list of all the people that had been involved in the mission. She learned more about people like Psimon and Devastation and many others.

Sighing and stretching her back to free it from the crick it had developed from Morgan slouching in her chair for several hours, she exited the document she was currently reading – A mission where the original members of the Team had saved the entire Justice League from – As far as Morgan deduced – a very secret, very exclusive and very _evil_ boy band that called themselves the 'Light' that had managed to gain control of the Leaguers. With, if she understood correctly, pieces from an ancient squid? Something like that, the arm of a squid found in the ocean and kept safe in Atlantis had definitely been involved.

After having poured over the stories for several hours now – okay it hadn't really been several hours, she'd started reading around eight and it was currently ten, so only two hours – Morgan found that she definitely needed a change of pace. And perhaps breakfast too.

Stretching her body as far as it would go, she sighed contently. On this particular day of staying indoors and doing nothing, she'd chosen to wear a black pair of sweatpants, no shoes or socks, and a white tank top with a large Superman logo on the chest. The first time Connor had seen it, he'd frowned in disapproval but hadn't said anything about it. Morgan seriously enjoyed the discomfort her fellow team mates showed whenever she wore a shirt with a superhero logo on it. Watching them squirm as they contemplated whether they should yell at her or leave it alone only to always decide to leave it alone was just hilarious.

Leaving her room, she headed for the kitchen. Upon reaching her destination she grabbed an apple from the fridge and stuffed a protein bar in her pocket. It would have to do for breakfast today, she decided, feeling too lazy to prepare a proper meal.

Afterwards, she went searching for some of her team mates. Most of them were enjoying the slow weekend and had stayed home or gone to the city, so Morgan knew only Nightwing, Garfield and Robin remained.

Knowing that she'd most definitely find Nightwing in the main room, she headed for it, hoping the other boys would be there as well.

She was in luck apparently, as the two younger teenagers were approaching Nightwing from the other side of the room just as Morgan did.

"_Decryption completed." _Announced the computer's emotionless, female voice. "_Translation completed_."

Robin and Beast Boy reached Nightwing first as he stood tall behind the transparent screens. "Is that the Krolotean intel?" Robin excitedly asked him.

"What Krolotean intel?" Beast Boy quickly inquired. Morgan came up next to Nightwing, watching the work he was doing on the screen even though she wasn't really sure what she was looking at. She needed to get Nightwing to teach her how to navigate their systems at some point.

Nightwing launched into an explanation to Garfield's question. "The data files M'gann and J'onn recovered on Malina Island before it was destroyed."

"Huh." Garfield nodded. Clearly he hadn't heard about this intel either. "Noted."

"Well," Morgan said between a mouthful of apple. She quickly swallowed to avoid spitting pieces of apple everywhere as she talked. What would probably be considered unattractive. "What does it say then?"

"Apparently the Kroloteans were snatching humans to use as guinea pigs. They were looking for something specific. Something inside us." Nightwing sounded confused, which Morgan decided couldn't be a good thing. She knew her mentor was smart. Like, crazy smart. If there was something that confused him, it would undoubtedly cause them trouble.

"What were they looking for?" Robin wondered, his own face drawn into a confused but intrigued mask.

Nightwing sighed. "There's no English word for it. The nearest translation is _meta_-gene."

Morgan leaned in closer to read the words on the screen. There was no description of what this meta-gene thing was, what it supposedly did or why the Kroloteans would go looking for it in humans. As usual, they didn't have the answers. Or, well, they had the answers. They just didn't understand them.

"What's a meta-gene?" Robin and Morgan asked at the same time and their eyes met through the transparent screen, a small smirk quirking on both mouths.

Garfield poked at Robin's side jokingly. "Never met-a-gene I didn't like!" He quipped.

_"__Warning!" _The computer suddenly announced loudly and Morgan nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping her almost finished apple to the floor.

"Jesus!" She exclaimed as her heart rate spiked for a moment. She feared she'd never get used to the computer suddenly speaking out loud.

"_Unknown energy impulse detected." _It specified the threat.

Outside the Cave, Morgan could hear a booming clash of thunder. Immediately behind them – Morgan nearly jumped out of her skin for the second time in one minute – bursts of lightning erupted from a giant hovering circle of blue light, and as the two of them turned to face the threat, Nightwing pushed Morgan behind him, holding a protective arm out in front of the three younger heroes.

If she hadn't been a tad bit freaked, Morgan would have rolled her eyes at his over-protective behavior.

Nightwing took a few steps back himself as the lightning grew in intensity, the gritting sound that always associated with electricity assaulting Morgan's ears. She felt her wings flutter in agitation all on their own behind her, the charged air in the room making the hairs on her arms rise.

The blue ball flickered, revealing a machine of some sort in its middle. Eventually, the blue lights disappeared entirely and the machine dropped to the floor with a loud _clang._

It was bell-shaped and old looking, like it had been used quite a lot or had been built from scraps of other machines. Smoke rose from it as the loud whirring sound that had accompanied it stilled.

The sound of a new mechanism from the machine signaled that a door was probably about to be opened. This also meant that someone was inside the machine.

Nightwing was immediately all business, his two eskrima sticks in his hands. "Stand ready." He ordered.

The three teenagers behind him all took defensive stances, Robin pulling out his electrified staff.

The latch at the front of the unknown machine opened, emitting a huge cloud of smoke. Morgan thought she could see a figure moving in the middle of the cloud.

In front of her, Nightwing grit his teeth and tightened the hold on his sticks, preparing himself for an attack.

A brown haired, lean and relatively short boy – standing a few inches shorter than Morgan – clad in a skintight white and red suit suddenly emerged from the grey smoke, spreading his arms out wide as if expecting a round of applause at his mere presence.

"_Ta-da_!" He shouted happily.

The four heroes all slouched slightly in disbelief.

"_Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" _The computer kept blaring, only adding to the chaotic scene.

"Computer," Nightwing, the first one to recover from the shock, sternly spoke out loud. "Lock down Cave."

Garfield was the next to recover and, always the one with a humorous line, he pointed out the obvious. "Well, I think we found our unknown energy impulse."

The mystery boy decided to join the conversation. "Impulse? That's so crash!" His voice was extraordinarily cheerful and energetic as he spoke, which made Morgan suspect she'd grow very tired of him very fast. "Catchy. Dramatic. One word," He listed quickly. Before Morgan had even seen him move, he was behind Nightwing. "Like Nightwing."

He moved towards Robin, wrapping a fond arm around his shoulders. "And Robin."

Suddenly he was all up in Morgan's face and she took a startled step back. "And Sparrow."

"_And_ Beast Boy." He finished, proving that he knew all of their names. "Except that's two words. Blue Beetle's also two words. Hey, is he here too?" His rapid speech barely left room enough for him to breathe, let alone for any of the others to even understand what he said, which was probably why none of them had interrupted him yet.

"Never mind." He said before running, faster than Morgan's eyes could follow, into the opening of one of the halls that led into the more private part of the Cave, the part where she and Beast Boy and the others lived. "Impulse can find that out for himself!" He declared and then he was gone, his laughter mockingly echoing inside the Cave.

"You two," Nightwing motioned for Robin and Beast Boy. "Take him down. Now!"

Robin and Beast Boy narrowed their eyes in their resolve and charged after the much faster boy.

"We're crash?" Nightwing repeated the intruder's words, obviously wondering what that meant.

"You know they're never gonna catch him, right?" Morgan pointed out. "He's too fast."

"I know." Nightwing grabbed her forearm and they hid behind a wall as Nightwing pulled a handful of small metallic balls from one of his pouches. "They're just a distraction while we set up a trap." He offered her some of the metallic spheres and Morgan accepted them before he quickly ran across to the other side of the hallway opening. "He's bound to come back this way at some point. We'll be ready for him." He explained.

Nightwing threw his own handful of balls into the hall and Morgan followed suit, watching in satisfaction as the floor was evenly covered by them. The fast kid would have a hard time maneuvering those, especially at his speed.

A moment later she saw the red and white blur that was the intruder as he sped down the hall. Expecting him to fall over, she was both disappointed and awed when he spotted the trap and simply ran up the walls and over the ceiling, his perfect arch landing at the end of the hallway.

"Hah!" He exclaimed, obviously finding their little trap ridiculous. "You can't catch me that eas-_urgh!_"

Nightwing, possessing speed Morgan had witnessed several times but was still impressed by, was upon the boy in an instant, the powerful punch to his chest sending him to the floor as all air was knocked out of his lungs.

Pulling two pairs of handcuffs out of his belt, Nightwing secured the boy instantly before standing up, staring down at his captive. "Now _that_ was crash." He concluded.

_Now _that_ was hot._ Morgan secretly thought. Realizing her thoughts, she shook herself awake.

"For you maybe." The boy on the floor sighed, only sounding slightly less hyper. "Me? I'm totally feeling the mode."

* * *

><p>"You're a tourist? From the future?" Robin asked doubtfully, clearly not believing the crap story the kid had been feeding them for the past five minutes. Morgan crossed her arms critically over her chest and raised a skeptical eyebrow at their prisoner, who was currently seated in front of them, handcuffs still around his wrists and ankles. On Robin's other side, Garfield's face was locked in a similarly doubtful expression.<p>

"Why so surprised?" He aked with a laugh. "Half the meat at Comic Con is from my era."

The three teenagers kept the skeptical expressions on their faces so the kid apparently decided to attempt another tactic. "Look-look-look, guys." He quickly rambled. "We should all be friends, I'm really one of you. Part of the heroic legacy, right?" He widened his eyes innocently, his voice friendly and excited. "My name is Bart Allen. You know, grandson of Barry Allen? The Flash?"

Garfield crossed his arms over his chest in disbelief but apparently decided to humor the boy. "Noted." He shrugged. "Not believed. But noted."

Truthfully, Morgan wasn't actually sure if she believed the kid or not. He didn't seem like the lying and deceiving type and she wasn't getting any menacing vibe from him so she didn't think he was planning to hurt them. But at the same time, his ludicrous story about being a tourist from the future that _also_ happened to be the grandson of The Flash just wasn't possible.

"What's not to believe?" He persisted. "I've clearly got Flash's speed, his amazing good looks.. Frankly, I can't wait to meet him!" He winced slightly like he'd said something wrong. "Uh, you know, back when he was in his prime."

Behind them, Nightwing suddenly came up. He'd been absent throughout their small interrogation and Morgan wondered what he'd been doing. "Well, Bart." He began, almost sounding friendly. "Coming all the way from the future, you must have worked up quite a thirst."

Morgan watched as her mentor offered the handcuffed boy a glass of water, which he accepted with thanks.

He took two sips of the water before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "Ah, you're trying to get a DNA sample. You need my spit!" He spit into the glass and Nightwing removed it, apparently having gotten what he wanted. "Hah, that's such a _Dick_ _Grayson_ thing to do." The boy – Bart, Morgan supposed she should call him – said.

It took her a small moment to realize what he'd said.

He'd called Nightwing by his real name.

A name only a few of the heroes knew – a name she only knew by accident.

Nightwing took a startled step back and Robin's eyes widened "How did-?" The younger boy wondered.

"See?" Bart triumphantly chuckled. "I know stuff only a future boy would know."

Seeing as his hands were bound in front of him he lifted both of them to point. "Dick Grayson." He moved onto Robin. "Tim Drake."

Morgan's eyes widened and she stored away the name in her brain for later research. Now all she needed was Batman's secret identity and Morgan would have totally screwed over their obsession with secrecy.

All thoughts of the Bat-kids secrecy flew out the window when the hyper youth pointed at her next. "Morgan Gray-" He grimaced and Nightwing narrowed his eyes at him as if daring him to finish that sentence with what he thought he was going to finish it with. "Sorry, Morgan 'Jørgensen'. Your name is just so hard to pronounce." The kid quickly explained, laughing unconvincingly. "I swear I called you West or something last week."

A few seconds of weird silence reigned after that.

Bart quickly shook it off and changed the subject. "Anywayyy, and that's Garfield Logan." He pointed at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy apparently hadn't known the names of the two bat-boys before the future kid had told him because he pointed doubtfully at Robin. "Your name is Tim?" He asked and Robin – Tim – looked decidedly sheepish and uncomfortable. Beast Boy turned to Nightwing next, a grimace on his face. "And yours is _Dick_?"

Morgan snorted in an attempt to hold in her laughter as Nightwing trained a glare on Garfield at the way the green boy had said it. Nightwing aimed his glare at her afterwards, not pleased with her obvious amusement.

"Don't worry Gar, that was roughly my reaction too when I found out." She chuckled.

Beast Boy turned to her. "Wait, you knew?"

Morgan shrugged. "Accidentally."

"Oops!" Their prisoner exclaimed. Apparently the attention had strayed from him too long for his taste. "Spoilers! Man, this secret identity thing is sooo retro." He prattled on. "I mean, you can call me Impulse, or Bart, or Bart Allen. Ooh, or Bart "Impulse" Allen." He shrugged as if the reveal of his secret identity didn't bother him at all. "It's all crash."

There was another pregnant pause as Robin turned to Nightwing. "Is it possible he might actually be telling the truth? Could he really be from the future?"

Morgan watched as Garfield squared his shoulders and approached their prisoner. "Tell us something we don't know _yet_." He demanded. "When do I become leader of the team? When do I join the Justice League? When do I get my own reality series?" The boy listed, bringing his face closer to Impulse in an attempt to appear menacing.

Nothing could bring Bart 'Impulse' Allen's spirit down apparently because he simply shrugged. "Sorry, BB, never was the best history student." He offered apologetically. Morgan wondered if that was just because he didn't want to tell Garfield that he was never going to do any of the things he'd listed. "Besides, we can't risk altering the time stream. We do that, we're all feeling the mode."

Morgan was starting to get seriously intrigued about what the boy meant when he said 'the mode' and that things were 'crash'. Maybe they were the same as 'sucks' and 'awesome' in the future or something like that.

Not that she actually believed he was from the future. Obviously.

Garfield's face contorted into a look of confusion. Apparently, he didn't really get the other guy's way of speech either. ".. And the mode would be.. bad?" He hesitantly asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Doesn't get any worse." Impulse sounded slightly deflated. "Always better to crash the mode!"

"Uh." Beast Boy said. "Noted."

Above them, the computer suddenly spoke out again. "_Recognized. Malcolm Duncan. A-1-0."_

"Ooh, Sounds like a door opening somewhere." Impulse declared. "Aaand, that's ma cue."

He started – was he vibrating? – right out of his handcuffs and stood up before any of the four teenagers had the chance to lunge for him. "Bye-bye!"

The sped at which he not only ran but also talked had the four heroes fighting to keep up with him and they all just stood around for a second before snapping out of it.

"Don't worry, the peregrine falcon is the world's fastest bird." Garfield explained, holding a pacifying hand up. "He won't get away."

The green skinned boy transformed into a falcon and soared out of the room.

"Doesn't stand a chance, does he?" Robin pointed out a moment later.

"Probably not." Morgan agreed.

"Nope." Nightwing added, handing Robin the glass. "Impulse is too fast. But at least we can track him."

Nightwing made the holographic screen re-appear in mid air – a trick that always awed Morgan – and brought up a map.

Robin looked at Nightwing in impressed surprise. "You planted a tracer? But it'll fall off at his speed." The younger boy pointed out.

"It won't." Nightwing contradicted, a slight laugh in his voice. "He drank it."

Robin held up the glass Impulse had been drinking from and studied the water. "Sub-coetaneous micro-tracker in the water." He declared and Morgan finally understood. Nightwing hadn't really needed a DNA sample, he'd just needed the boy to drink the water so he could track him. "Nice."

"Thanks." Nightwing said, sounding very pleased with his own work.

Morgan decided she liked when her mentor sounded happy. He seemed less rigid and more welcoming than usual.

"He's making a beeline for Central City." Nightwing revealed a minute later once he'd locked onto the speedsters location.

He pulled out his phone and dialed in a number in one fluid movement. "Hey." He greeted once the person on the other end of the line answered the call. "Need your help. There's someone headed for Central City. I think he's trying to find Flash."

Nightwing launched into a brief explanation of what had transpired in the Cave in the span of the last thirty minutes, Robin and Morgan watching from the sideline.

"This has been such a weird day." Morgan tiredly complained, holding a hand to her forehead to stave off the headache that was coming along. "And it's only half past ten in the morning."

Robin shrugged. "Trust me, you learn to roll with it in the end. Anything is possible in this line of work."

"So I've gathered."

Nightwing, having finished his phone call, put away the cell and turned to the two shorter teenagers. "Wally will take care of it. Now all we can do is wait."

* * *

><p>And wait they did. For several hours.<p>

After her usual spar with Nightwing – sometimes going three on three with Robin and still getting her butt royally kicked – Morgan had eaten lunch and settled back into her room, resuming her previous reading.

The Team had been on countless missions in the past six years and the list seemed endless, but Morgan was determined to at least skim through most of them. She wanted to be able to understand what the others were talking about when they mentioned some older mission. She wanted to stop feeling like she wasn't properly a part of the Team.

She knew that with time, she'd gain her own stories with the Team – She already had some, like the mission she'd gone on with Robin, Blue Beetle and Lagoon Boy, but that _one_ incident wasn't really enough – and share in on their inside jokes. She wanted to feel properly 'initiated' in a way.

She didn't doubt that most of the people on the Team, if not all of them, accepted her and viewed her as part of their team, but she needed to truly feel like it herself too.

Just another reason for her to wish she'd get to go on some missions.

But she didn't push the issue. She had promised to stop begging. And she had the feeling that the sooner she stopped nagging Nightwing about it, the sooner he'd actually let her go. She needed to prove that she was 'mature' enough to go on missions.

Personally, she didn't get why _he_ got to decide when she was mature enough to go. He was only half a year older than her or so. And he'd been going on missions for a decade already. Surely if he had been ready at nine years old, she was ready at eighteen.

But, _as_ _promised_, she didn't push the issue.

Didn't stop her from silently complaining about it in her head.

It had become common that the Cave was missing some of its usual residents during the weekend. M'gann left to stay in her uncle's apartment, claiming she'd promised to water his plants, and Connor sometimes went to visit his adopted parents. If the weekend was slow, La'gaan would go to Atlantis and practice his magic to keep it evolving.

Leaving behind only Garfield, Mal and Morgan. But Mal, being a very busy social butterfly, was rarely home. It was only Morgan and Garfield who didn't have anywhere else to go.

Or at least, Morgan didn't before. Now she could always visit her mom if the Cave was too boring.

She wasn't sure if she'd follow through with that plan too often though. She'd feel bad for leaving Garfield to stay at the Cave all by himself.

There were always a few heroes hanging around the place, obviously, except for at night when everyone had gone home to their families.

And Morgan would feel bad for leaving Garfield in an empty Mount Justice. The boy was a terrible cook, he'd live off of toast for days.

Morgan emerged from her room some time later, and much like earlier that day, she went in search of her mentor, Robin and Beast Boy.

When she stepped into the main room of the Cave, she found herself greatly wishing she'd at least put on a pair of socks and perhaps attempted to tame her hair somewhat.

The future kid, Impulse, had returned. And with him he'd brought Flash, Flash Senior (At least, that was what Morgan mentally dubbed the grey haired and wrinkly man in a seriously outdated Superhero costume) and Kid Flash.

Everyone else was in the room too. Nightwing, Mal, Robin and Beast Boy. In the middle of the room was the 'time machine' still firmly in place, separating the speedster family from the four other men. She felt her cheeks redden and she kept her gaze firmly on the floor when everyone looked up upon her entry.

Thankfully, Nightwing redirect the attention when he spoke up from his perch behind the holographic computer screen. "Impulse's DNA matches up with both Iris and you, Barry." He revealed. "And this thing is giving off both Zeta and chronotron radiation." His voice was laced with impressed wonder, as if the thing in front of him shouldn't be possible.

"Which _is_ based on pure theory." Kid Flash clarified and Morgan understood Nightwing's wondrous tone. "It's what you'd expect to find radiating off a time machine."

Barry seemed pleased by this and placed a hand on the shortest speedster's shoulder. "Which means you're exactly who you say you are."

"Hah! Told you!" Bart cheered. He waved briefly at his relatives and took a few backward steps towards his, apparently, actual time machine. "Anyway, it's been crash, but the future awaits! I gotta _run_."

He laughed at his own joke as several people in the room facepalmed at the pun. "Ha ha! See what I did there with the 'run'? That was for you gramps-"

"Bart." Flash interrupted his grandson. "Thanks for coming. I look forward to meeting you again for the first time.. and watching you grow up."

A soft look took over the hyperactive boy's face. "_That_ will be crash." He agreed and enveloped his grandfather in a hug.

Then he pulled back and saluted the room. "So long!" he cheered and slipped inside the machine, closing the latch.

Several silent and tense seconds passed as the time machine stayed in place.

"Shouldn't something have happened by now?" Morgan pointed out.

"Maybe he's traveling forward one second at a time?" Garfield suggested, shrugging his shoulders in his confusion.

A moment later the latch was kicked back open. "It's not working!" Impulse groaned and kicked the machine angrily. "The whole thing's fried. Piece of junk!"

"Can you fix it?" Barry asked.

"I'm a tourist, not a chronal expert." Bart clarified.

Morgan's heart sank in her chest. First because she felt bad for the boy who was now stuck in the past for good. Then because she realized that she'd have to put up with his hyperactive ass for far longer than she knew she had the patience to.

"Look at me!" Bart yelled, throwing his arms up in defeat. "I'm trapped in the stupid past. _Ugh_. I'm _so_ moded."

Part of Morgan couldn't help but think that he didn't sound as surprised and 'moded' as he claimed to be. She didn't rest on the thought for long.

"Guess you'll be needing a place to stay." Nightwing spoke up first, always the practical one. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need."

"That won't be necessary." Flash Senior spoke up, placing a fatherly hand on the young boy's shoulder. "He can stay with Joan and I."

"Really?" Impulse asked, a large grin on his face. "That'd be so crash! Hanging out with my great grandparents!"

"Of course." The older man smiled. "We'll enroll you in school tomorrow."

Impulse's face fell. "Erh, I think I'd rather stay at the Cave."

"That won't help you much, kid." Morgan drawled. "The moment I had settled into the Cave they sent my ass to college."

Impulse's face fell even further and Morgan's dry words elicited a few chuckles from the two oldest speedsters.

"Come on, Bart." The oldest man in the room said. "Let's go."

The Cave cleared of speedsters in a moment, and soon the others went to do their own thing.

Nightwing, as Morgan had expected, stayed by the computer, his attention undivided.

"What a strange day, huh?" She spoke up, trying to strike conversation.

There was a newfound tension between them that Morgan was afraid to pinpoint the origin of.

"How did your reading go?" Nightwing less-than-tactfully changed the subject.

She let him. "I've gotten through two fifths of your missions by now. You guys have been busy." She answered, wringing her hands in a clump of curls. "Lots to catch up on."

Morgan wondered why she suddenly felt nervous around her mentor. Why the tension was there.

But she didn't need to wonder. Morgan already knew.

She wondered if he was thinking the same thing as she was at the moment.

Had Impulse seriously been about to call her Morgan Grayson? And if so, had it really been a mistake as he'd claimed?

The thought that in some future, alternate or not, Morgan and Nightwing would literally _marry_ sent her heart racing like nothing else.

The worst part was that she wasn't sure if it was a good racing or a bad racing. She only knew that she was starting to fear that her heart would literally beat so fast it'd simply stop working.

"Will.." Morgan paused and swallowed a lump. "Are you and Robin staying for dinner?"

Morgan cursed herself for feeling nervous about asking him. She'd asked him the same thing several times before. Other members of the Team stayed over for dinner all the time. Nightwing had stayed too sometimes.

Why should this time be different?

"No." he answered shortly and Morgan tried to tell herself it wasn't a lump of disappointment and embarrassment settling in her stomach.

"At least, I'm not. Robin might." Nightwing closed down the screen and turned to her. His face as unreadable as always and Morgan found herself annoyed with the stoic mask he seemed to always slip into place. She _knew_ he had emotions, he'd shown them plenty of times before. Why did he feel the need to maintain the 'leader' persona when they were the only ones in the room? He knew Morgan didn't take it seriously anyway, so why even bother?

Morgan took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, straightening her back. "I guess I'll see you around then."

She left the room, the sound of the Zeta tube activating following in her wake as Nightwing disappeared.

* * *

><p>I thought it'd be fitting to post a chapter on the first of december! I'm so excited for christmas! It kinda sucked last year because my dad had cancer, so I'm counting on this year being <em>much<em> better!

I swear, writing a character that talks really fast is so difficult to get right because you can't _show _that he talks fast because it's in _writing._ Anyway, Bart's here! Yay! Finally moving on with the real plot.

And I just want to remind everyone that Bart's reality/future is, technically, an alternative one because once he goes back to chance stuff, that old future is gone. So some things may not happen in this reality which _did_ happen in his. Just reminding you..

Also, most of you guessed correctly. Morgan is a Gryffindor. (Which makes me feel unoriginal, but this is the character I created okay, I didn't actually have much say in how she developped. She kinda decides for herself. Anyway, I'm a Slytherin, so at least this proves I didn't just write a character exactly like me, right?)

Somebody pointed out that Bart becomes B23 when it comes to Zeta travelling. And yeah, he does. But Morgan arrived on the Team before him, and since the number is just decided after how many people are already on the Team - or has been on the Team - it wouldn't make sense for him to get a smaller number than her. So because she came first, she'd number B23 and he's B24. Yup. Feel free to complain if you want.

Fun fact: Morgan prefers to read classics. She figures they have to be good for them to still be popular after so many years. Some she likes, some she doesn't.

(Thank you Aurora340 for suggesting a fun fact theme! if anyone else has any ideas for themes, tell me in a review and I'll be more than happy to use your suggestions!)


	23. Moonlight and Pizza

Chapter Twenty Three

Moonlight and Pizza

March 3rd

Okay, so he wasn't necessarily avoiding Morgan _per se_, he was just not prioritizing her company at the moment.

And if he'd severely slacked on their sparring sessions, it was only because he was too busy with Team stuff to train with her.

There had been tension since Impulse had foolishly almost called her Grayson – Nightwing had absolutely no doubt that he had been about to call her just that – and even if it truly had been a moment of stupidity and not because Morgan was actually going to be referred to as Morgan Grayson in the future, the damage had been done.

Impulse had, intentionally or not, made things awkward between Nightwing and the winged girl in a way that made him – _him, Nightwing, fearless hero and leader of his team _– run with his tail between his legs in a wonderful display of how much of a coward he could truly be.

Morgan hadn't said more than a few words to him since the new speedster had first arrived – Nightwing still wasn't sure how he even felt about that particular, _weird_ happening, he'd been too busy keep his trainee at arm's length – and he hadn't exactly attempted to strike conversation either.

And the others were noticing.

Batgirl had approached him about at it and he'd simply lied, telling her that they'd been in a fight again. The lie was believable enough; it wouldn't be the first time they'd spent days silently sending each other frosty glares after an argument.

He could tell Barbara hadn't bought it. She knew him too well. And this time their avoidance of each other was different. There were no frosty glares, but redirected eyes. No sarcastic quips, but forced and awkward one-word conversations.

And god dammit if his jaw wasn't still tinkling from when she'd placed a chaste kiss on it over a week ago. It was _annoying_.

Eventually, thankfully, his common sense and his drive to keep his team as functional and happy as possible won over and he knew he'd had to fight through the awkwardness.

And the best way to fight through awkwardness was to pretend it wasn't there. He needed to hold a conversation with her for long enough for things to return to normal.

So, one night in the early days of March, he checked the Cave computer's log and was pleased to find that Morgan was all alone there, everyone else out for the evening, some on missions and some with their families.

Stopping by a fast food joint that he knew made the best pizza on the _continent_ – he'd fight you over this is – he ordered two. His own favorite and one he _assumed_ Morgan would like. She seemed like a meat-happy person.

After getting the pizzas he quickly found a small alley where he changed into his Nightwing suit – after Morgan had made him buy her a cheese burger menu at McDonalds in full costume, he'd vowed to never do something like that again.. there was far too much staring – and walked to the nearest Zeta tube that would transport him from Blüdhaven to the Cave.

He marched confidently, like a man on a mission – which he most definitely was – through the Zeta tube and found Morgan in the kitchen, frying an egg for what would become her lonely and disappointing dinner.

Slamming the pizza boxes harder onto the table than was strictly necessary – he blamed his steely resolve, it had gotten him carried away a bit – he fixed her with a stern look.

Morgan had jumped when the boxes had made loud contact with the table and she'd quickly turned to see what was going on.

Nightwing realized that, as he stood there, firm scowl in place, with two half-way wrecked pizza boxes from the abuse he'd put them through, he probably looked utterly ridiculous.

And not at all like someone who was here to defuse tension.

"I've brought dinner." He announced with no explanation.

"Uh, hi." She greeted slowly, probably trying to gauge what was wrong him. "There's no one else here, so.."

Nightwing realized that she was giving him a fair chance to boot it out of there like he had – like they _both_ had been doing all week.

"I know." He squared his jaw, wondering slightly _why_ he was _still scowling_ when he was trying to make her feel at ease. "It's for you. And me."

Morgan paused comically as she was about to flip her egg over, arm stuck in an odd angle with the spatula clenched in her fist.

"Oh." She answered almost timidly and she straightened, looking sadly at her half-fried egg. "I guess this is pointless then."

She took the frying pan and sent the egg into the garbage bag before placing the warm pan in the sink carefully.

Nightwing was very thankful she wasn't questioning his motive.

"Where do you want to eat it?" She asked instead, untying the knot on the cream-colored apron around her waist.

"Outside." Nightwing decided quickly. The night was lovely and warm. So far, spring had been pleasant, as had most of the winter. Nightwing wondered if the mild winter would make people start freaking out over global warming all over again.

He told himself to focus.

"I know a good spot. Outside."

* * *

><p>The good spot was actually a huge pine tree halfway up the mountain side that allowed for a stunning view over the ocean. The moon was round and big, illuminating the place so well neither teenager felt like turning on any flashlights.<p>

Morgan had taking the two steamy boxes with her and flown high up, settling down on a large branch, her back leaning against the thick trunk. Nightwing climbed up after her and ended up on the neighboring branch, located to the right and a few inches below Morgan's, and because of Nightwing's natural height advantage, their heads were positioned at exactly the same height. Nightwing tried to remember the last time he'd climbed a tree for his own enjoyment and not as part of a mission.

He couldn't remember.

Morgan gave him the box that he declared his and they silently dug into their respective pizzas.

_Should've brought water_, Nightwing thought to himself ten minutes later as the glorious pizza made him thirsty.

They'd both slowed down their eating by now, full but unwilling to let the last pieces go to waste.

"So.." Morgan began, clearing her throat. "Good pizza."

Nightwing silently nodded, glad she shared his sentiment.

"The view is really nice up here." Morgan added.

"It is." Nightwing agreed. The full moon cast a silvery glow on the mountain side and the ocean looked like a polished mirror. The calming sound of the waves periodically crashing to shore beneath them was like a symphony.

With a sense of horror settling in his stomach, Nightwing realized that the night was positively _romantic_.

_Which was the exact opposite of what he'd been aiming for._

He wracked his brain for something to talk about to avoid a 'peaceful' silence from settling.

Nightwing remembered a question he'd been meaning to ask her for quite some time.

Morgan was the kind of person that only divulged personal information in the right setting and with the right company. He hoped this was the right setting and he was the right company because he really did want to know.

"How old were you when you got your wings?" He asked, feeling like he'd taken a leap off of a cliff without checking if the water below was deep enough.

Morgan took a slow bite out of her pizza. She chewed thoughtfully on it as her brow furrowed in remembrance. Nightwing thought she might've been confused that he'd brought it up now instead of months earlier.

She took a small bottle of water out of the pocket of her large hoodie – the zipper was open, the large fabric hanging off of her small frame and pooling around her – and took two large gulps of the water.

She offered it to him next and he accepted it, too thirsty to worry about things like hygiene and sharing spit.

"They started growing when I was thirteen.." She revealed. "It was.." Morgan cleared her throat and in the poorly lit tree, Nightwing wasn't sure if the darkening of her cheeks was in fact a blush. "It was a few weeks after I got my period for the first time. And, you know, periods mess with hormones like nothing else and I think it kick started the growth. Somehow."

Nightwing understood the blush now. Talking about her period with him was probably not high on her list of things she wanted to do.

She drew her legs up against her stomach and rested her arms on her knees, eyes firmly fixed on the horizon. Her blonde curls shone like a halo around her face in the moonlight.

"My other power came a year later. At least, I discovered it a year later." Morgan went on and Nightwing paid rapt attention. She was opening up to him and he wanted her to know that he was appreciating it. The only other times Morgan had ever admitted anything to him had been in the heat of an argument, like when she'd admitted that she was afraid of leaving the Cave because her wings had gotten too big. He was happy that, for once, they were discovering things about each other in a friendlier environment.

"A bully at school was trying to roughen me up and he started pulling at my sweater. I was afraid he'd see my wings so I pushed him away.. sent him halfway across the hall and through a locker." She smirked to herself at the memory. "I'd only given him a small shove. It shouldn't have been possible."

"What happened then?" Nightwing worried that people had seen and figured out that she had powers.

"We were all alone in the hall." Morgan had guessed his thoughts. "He was a few years older than me. I think he was too embarrassed at being defeated by a short fourteen year old girl because he never told anyone."

She smirked slightly and turned her head to the side, making eye contact with Nightwing. He'd taken his mask off a few minutes earlier, finding it oddly restricting. They were alone and Morgan had seen him without a mask plenty of times, there was no reason to keep it on. It felt wrong when she was confiding in him and he kept on the mask, like he didn't trust her but expected her to trust him.

"The school board spent an entire month trying to find the vandal that had wrecked one of their lockers."

Dick let out a short chuckle. "I bet you were their last suspect."

"Totally." Morgan agreed. "Anyway, after the incident, I skipped school and went to this old, abandoned steel factory. Remember the one at the outskirts of Gotham?"

"Nichols and Sons, yeah." Dick remembered.

"I went there and I spent the next five hours trying to figure out what was going on. I soon found out what I could do." Morgan scratched briefly her hair and pulled a face. "I was beyond freaked. Not only did I have wings, I could also push things around with my freakin' mind."

Dick wanted to remind her that those were the qualities that had given her a spot on the Team and they were a good thing now. But he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to anger her.

"So afterwards I started isolating myself. I'd already severed ties with most of my friends, but after that, I simply stopped talking to people altogether."

"Isolation since you were thirteen." Dick mused to himself. "That doesn't leave space for a lot of friendships, no. Or relationships."

He wondered immediately afterwards why he'd brought that up.

"Nope." Morgan popped her lips at the word. "I've never had a boyfriend." She shrugged like it didn't bother her. "I'm not just a virgin, I'm, like, an _advanced_ virgin. Purer than a nun."

"A super virgin." Dick agreed, keeping his tone light to match hers. Secretly, he wondered if the peck on his jaw line had been the closest she'd ever gotten to kissing a guy.

Morgan snorted out a startled laugh. "That sounds like a superhero name." She adopted a stoic expression and spoke in her best imitation of a trailer voice. "Super Virgin; terror of the night, protector of the innocent, unprotected sex's number one enemy!"

They shared a few casual chuckles.

"What about you?" Morgan suddenly asked. "Ever been in a relationship?"

Dick thought she had been about to ask him if he'd ever had sex and found himself very relieved that he had been wrong.

He _wasn't_ a virgin. He was a nineteen year old, good looking boy, of course he wasn't a virgin.

The first time he'd ever had sex had been with Zatanna when they were both fifteen. It hadn't exactly been a success, more like a last resort to save a relationship that failed anyway.

There had been a few relationships since. Unlike Morgan, Nightwing hadn't been isolated for five years. He'd been living his life as any other teenage boy would.

Except for the added part of being a superhero on the sideline.

"A few." He admitted. "Mostly within the Team. It's difficult to date civilians."

"Yeah, I can imagine it'd be difficult to find anyone with enough shared life experiences."

"Exactly."

They were silent for another moment. Dick couldn't detect any underlying awkwardness and he thought his plan had been pretty successful. Though, his plan had been to bring things back to normal. They weren't really. Things were better. If they had been back to normal, Morgan would have aimed snippy remarks at him and Nightwing would have responded with a cold façade.

This was almost like a conversation between two friends.

Morgan was the first one to break the silence, her voice soft, bordering on vulnerable. "I've spent the last five years coming up with all these theories, worked on grasping how my powers worked and what had made the wings appear.." She stared at her hands as she spoke, her fingers spread out as if mimicking the movement she did when she used her power. "And all those unanswered questions are eating at me every day. I've accepted my wings and my powers as part of me now, almost grown fond of them even, but.. But I still can't help but wonder _why_? Why me? How did _I_ end up with these powers? There _has_ to be a scientific explanation to my questions, right? A reason for me to grow wings and develop telekinetic powers? They don't just appear at random, do they?"

Nightwing shifted slightly in his seat as he contemplated her questions. He and Batman had dug further into her absent father and found that they reached dead end after dead end. All they knew was that he had worked with crossbreeding birds, but that didn't necessarily mean he was responsible for his daughter's wings. There really wasn't anything for them to go on. They needed solid evidence so, after only a few weeks of research, Batman had decided to drop the case, at least until something new came up.

Nightwing had never told Morgan about any of this. He knew her father was a sore subject for her, and he liked to avoid bringing it up as much as possible.

Dick wished he had the answers to her questions. He really did. He could tell that they really were eating away at her.

Instead, all he could do was shrug and shake his head apologetically. "I wish I knew, Morgan. I really do."

Far, far back in a secret corner of his brain, a small thought made itself present. He barely even registered and he'd forgotten it as soon as it had presented itself.

_Meta-gene_.

* * *

><p>March 5th<p>

"Your dad is back in town."

That was all took. Those few words were all it took for Morgan's brain to completely short-circuit.

She was lounging on her mom's old couch with a stupid elf-hat on her curly head, half a cookie falling to the floor, escaping from her limp hand. The other half she had been in the middle of chewing and it was now unattractively on display as her mouth hung open in shock.

Morgan had suggested the belated Christmas and her mom had agreed to the idea right away. They were in the middle of watching Home Alone when her mother had sprung the news on Morgan.

"_What?_" Morgan asked, disbelief lacing her voice.

Her mom shrugged. "He approached me two days ago. He wants to see you."

Morgan felt anger squeeze its red-hot fingers around her heart. "Well, you can tell him to go stick it where the sun doesn't shine." She growled out after swallowing the cookie she'd had in her mouth. The treat had felt like ash in her mouth, all taste gone.

Abigail sent her daughter a disapproving look. "Morgan, he _is_ your father."

Morgan stood up quickly, throwing the elf-hat off her head, wings agitatedly flapping behind her, nearly knocking the bowl of cookies on the coffee table to the floor.

"Some _father_." Morgan snorted, rolling her eyes. "He's been absent for eight years, what makes him think I want to have anything to do with him now?" She angrily pointed out.

Her mom fixed her with a saying look. "He said he believed he'd have the answers to a lot of questions you've been asking yourself for years."

Morgan froze in mid-step. She turned slowly and fixed her shocked, wide eyes on her mom. Her knees turned to jelly and she felt them buckle underneath her, only just managing to catch herself.

"Do- do you think..?" Morgan swallowed and pointed at her wings. ".. He means?"

Abigail stood up and embraced her scared daughter. "I'm not sure darling. But I think it's worth a shot, don't you? You don't have to have anything to do with him afterwards, but as long as you get the answers you need, wouldn't it be worth it?" She brushed a few curls away from Morgan's face and behind her ear, smiling fondly at her.

Morgan felt tears press at the corner of her eyes and she blinked rapidly. "I.. I don't know.." She whispered, feeling lost and ten years old again. Old wounds, wounds her father had left behind when he'd disappeared from her life so suddenly, were suddenly fresh and bleeding again. "I don't know what to do."

"My beautiful daughter." Abigail smiled softly. "If you chose to decline his offer, you shouldn't feel like you're condemning yourself. You can be whole and true without the answers to those questions. You don't _need_ to know to _live_."

Morgan weighed her mom's words, thankful that she'd been gifted with such a wise and understanding mother.

"I'll speak with my superiors first." Morgan decided eventually. She knew Nightwing would have an idea what to do. "And I'll give you my answer soon. Tomorrow. Or the day after that. Do you have a way to contact him?"

Abigail pulled a paper out of the back-pocket of her jeans and smoothed it out, revealing a series of numbers in a far too familiar handwriting. "He gave me his number." She handed the paper to Morgan. She didn't take the offered slip. "Take it." Her mom encouraged. "It'll be much easier for you to contact him by yourself if you choose to do so."

Morgan nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat, accepting the paper and stuffing it into her pocket.

"I've.." Morgan took a step back and found the front door with her eyes. Licking her lower lip in thought, she said, "I've got to go."

Abigail smiled softly and reached forward, placing a kiss in her daughter's curly hair. "I know, Sweetie."

Morgan regretted leaving her mom so soon. They'd planned to spend the entire weekend together. Morgan had only been there for half a day.

"I'll.. I'll call you." Morgan promised after having gathered her things together.

"I'll see you soon, my sweet." Her mom promised, watching as Morgan slung her bag over her shoulder, puller her charmed pendant over around her neck, and walked out the door, disappearing down the dark corridor.

Morgan's head was racing as she headed for the nearest Zeta tube in Gotham. How did her father even _know_ about her wings? They'd only appeared three years after he'd left them and Morgan hadn't seen him since!

Maybe he'd known that they were going to appear.

But how?

Maybe it wasn't even her wings he'd talked about, but her other power.

Or maybe he didn't actually know anything about either of them and just meant that he was willing to answer _why_ he'd left for eight years without sending her a single letter, email or phone call.

Morgan decided to not jump to any conclusions, mostly because none of the conclusions she was tempted to jump to were pleasant. She'd talk to Nightwing about this and then she go on from there.

Morgan wondered when she'd become so dependent on his opinion and advice. It wasn't like he was some old wise mentor guy. He was _her_ age. Somehow, it didn't matter. If she had to chose between getting advice from him or some old wise dude, she'd chose Nightwing any time. He was smart. And empathic. And that was all Morgan needed.

She kept the tears in, not wanting to look like she'd been crying when she found him.

Morgan arrived at the Cave and, not missing a beat, she marched towards the combined kitchen and living room, knowing it would be the place she'd be most likely to find any of the others.

Cassie, Mal and Barbara were sitting around the island in the middle of the room and all looked up when she arrived.

"I thought you were spending the weekend at your mother's place?" Batgirl spoke up first, eyeing the bag on Morgan's shoulder.

Morgan shrugged and dropped the bag onto the floor next to the island. "Something came up." She explained, mortified when her voice cracked halfway through her sentence. "Is Nightwing here?"

Cassie and Barbara exchanged a blank look as Mal answered. "I think I saw him in the main room half an hour ago."

"He's not there now, I just left it." Morgan clarified.

"Then I don't know." Mal said. "Sorry."

"Dammit." Morgan growled and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. The entire situation was making her antsy and she kind of felt like she wanted to cry but also scream and throw some stuff around.

"Morgan?" Cassia asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Morgan snapped quickly and slightly hysterically. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"Because," Batgirl spoke up suddenly, the same cautious tint to her voice. "You're shaking like a leaf."

Morgan realized that she was. Her entire body, from her toes to the tip of her wings was overcome with tremors and she wondered how she hadn't noticed before.

"It's nothing.." She persisted. "I just really need to talk to Nightwing."

Morgan wasn't sure how much she was supposed – or allowed – to tell her fellow team mates before consulting him first. He was her mentor and as such, unless he said any different, he made the calls. Only a few days before had Morgan decided to put her trust in his judgment, and she was staying by that decision.

Which meant she wasn't going to involve any of the others before talking to him first.

Part of her still wondered why her first instinct was to go to him because if she was honest with herself, it wasn't only to seek his council but also his comfort.

She wanted, needed _Nightwing_ of all people to comfort her.

Barbara stared at her for another short moment before deciding that there really was nothing she could do except help the blonde.

She drew up the small holographic computer she had installed in the wrist of her suit. In a few seconds, she'd found the security camera footage of the Cave. Fast forwarding to the footage from the last thirty minutes, she located Nightwing leaving the main room and heading for the garage. "I'm pretty sure he's down in the garage." She finally revealed, turning to Morgan.

Morgan was almost overwhelmed with her gratitude towards the other girl and she almost hugged her before remembering that none of the bat-kids were huggers.

Instead she chose to sag in relief, sighing out a heartfelt 'thank you' before taking off at a jog down the hall and towards the garage. When the jogging wasn't fast enough, she took to the air, soaring through the halls at a higher speed than she'd been able to reach had she been running.

She burst through the doors and immediately spotted Nightwing tinkering with some small electronic device at a nearby table. "Nightwing!" She shouted, gaining his attention immediately.

He looked up from his work and, upon seeing the distressed look on Morgan's face, he dropped his tools onto the table and faced her fully, brow drawn. "Morgan, what's wrong?"

"My dad." She quickly clarified, landing right in front of him with a gust of wind that teased the long tufts of hair falling in his eyes. "He's back."

Nightwing opened his mouth to respond but Morgan cut him off. "That's not all." She quickly said, knowing that her dad returning wasn't much cause for distress in itself. "He wants to meet me and after I told my mom 'hell no' she said that he'd told her that I'd want to meet him because he would 'have the answers to questions I've been asking myself'."

Realization dawned on her mentor's face and Morgan raised both eyebrows in silent agreement to the conclusion she knew he had made in his head, nodding slowly. "I think he knows something about my situation that I don't."

"That much is clear." Nightwing agreed, voice thoughtful.

"And I'm not sure what to do." Morgan admitted. "I have absolutely no interest in meeting my dad after everything he put me through, but I really _do_ want answers."

Nightwing was silent for a long while as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the table, contemplating her dilemma.

"I think accepting his offer would be best.." He eventually assessed. "For your own peace of mind. But you don't have to go alone if you don't want to."

He stood up fully and placed a hand on her small shoulder. "I'll come with you if it would make you feel better."

Morgan considered his offer and his advice, nodding slowly. "I'd.. I'd like that." She mumbled. Bringing Nightwing along with her would make the whole thing seem more professional and not as personal as a private meeting with her father would. It would be easier for her to maintain an emotional distance.

"Good." Nightwing straightened and dropped his hand back down to his side, nodding a few times. A tuft of black hair settled over the left eyehole on his mask and Morgan's eyes followed the movement, oddly captivated. "What's the game plan then?"

"Uh," Morgan shook her head to get it back in the game. "I've got his number. I can call him and arrange a meeting any time."

"We'll do it tomorrow." Nightwing suggested. "It'll give you time to get used to the idea."

Morgan nodded, knowing that his advice was sound. "Thank you." She said as he turned back to the work he'd been doing earlier. "You're a great help."

He offered her a brief smile.

Morgan, much calmer, left before things got too mushy.

And before he could notice the stupid blush creeping up the pale skin of her throat.

* * *

><p>And thus we enter the realm of daddy issues. Prepare yourselves.<p>

I personally really like the tree scene. It's cute. And it's great to see Morgan finally opening up, eh?

The second part feels a tiny bit rushed, but I wasn't sure what I should change. So it is what it is.

Anyway, due to getting a lot more reviews than usual on the last chapters, I decided to post early! Just to show that I really appreciate all of your lovely feedback! Your reviews make my day.

And I'm pleased so see that Bart's slip up had the exact reaction I had hoped for. You guys are awesome and funny :)

Fun fact: Dick thrives in warm weather, but Morgan burns so easily that she prefers winter simply because she doesn't need to apply sunscreen all the time then.


	24. Daddy Issues

Chapter Twenty Four

Daddy Issues

March 4th

Nightwing watched Morgan approach the cell phone on the kitchen counter, paper slip with her dads number next to it, pick it up, stare at it, and then put it down again to resume her pacing, fretting and hair-pulling.

For the _fifth time in a row, oh my god Morgan, just call you dad already_.

He wondered why he constantly found himself dragged into her family drama.

Nightwing sighed from his position against the wall and uncrossed his arms, approaching the shorter teenager. Grabbing hold of her shoulders, he firmly directed her towards the phone.

She dug her heels into the floor, refusing to move. He bumped into her from behind and Morgan stumbled a step forward.

"Morgan." He exasperated. "You have to actually _pick up the phone and type in the number to call him_."

"I know, I know." She snapped, still refusing to move towards the phone.

Nightwing sighed and rolled his eyes, not believing that she was actually making him do this.

Grabbing hold of her upper arms, he held on tight and lifted her clean off the floor, carrying her at arm's length towards the counter.

She let out a surprised squeak and kicked her legs out in an attempt to find solid ground. Her wings flapped in short-lived panic and Nightwing got a mouthful of feathers.

He placed her firmly in front of the phone and kept one hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn't just run away the moment he let go. With his other hand, he picked up the phone and the number and held them out in front of her face, a stern look on his.

She stared at the phone like it was a huge snail and Nightwing had just ordered her to eat it.

When she did nothing, Nightwing sighed harshly and dialed in the number by himself. When he was done, he grabbed hold of her hand, forcing it open and put the phone in it. Pressing the call button, he guided her hand up to her ear.

"What are you doing?" She cried out, clearly panicking.

Nightwing grabbed hold of the other side of her face too, making sure she couldn't remove the phone from her ear. She put up a very valiant fight, though.

"Jeg slår dig ihjel når det her er slut!"1 She threatened – at least, the angry danish spluttering had sounded like a threat.

"I swear Nightwing, if you don't let me go right this instant I will – Hello Henrik." Morgan suddenly drastically changed her tone of voice as the person on the other side evidently picked up.

"_Talk to him_." Nightwing mouthed as she sent him a wide-eyed and panicked look.

"_Who is this?"_ Nightwing could hear the man on the other end of the line ask.

Morgan swallowed dryly, but her voice was calm when she responded. "I think you know who."

"_Morgan?" _The man responded, sounding disbelieving. "_My god, you sound so grown up."_

"Yeah well," Morgan's brow furrowed in a glare. "A lot happens when you're gone for eight years."

She didn't give him a chance to respond to that but simply plowed on, obviously eager to get the phone call over with. "Mom said you wanted to see me. Something about answers."

Nightwing realized he was still holding onto her head from both sides and let go before he could start thinking about ridiculous things, like how soft her hair was.

"_We've got so much to talk about, _Skat_. I've been looking forward to this for so long. I promise I didn't leave-"_2

_"_This meeting is _not_ pleasantry." Morgan cut him off. "It is a simple necessity. You have something I want. And I'm going to get it. I don't want anything else from you. _Especially_ not your bad excuses."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"_Gotham. Out in front of your old elementary school. The streetlight that was always out of order. You remember the spot?"_ He asked.

"Yes." Morgan confirmed.

"_Meet me there on monday. At ten pm." _

Monday.. that was three days away.

Nightwing steeled himself as he knew he approached three days of a tense and hostile Morgan as she fretted over meeting with her father.

"Deal." She responded flatly and ended the phone call immediately, throwing the phone onto the table. It skidded along the surface from the force and landed itself in the sink, leaving behind an unpleasant and loud clanging as it hit the sides roughly.

Morgan clenched her jaw and aimed her stormy eyes at Nightwing.

"Let's go train." She barked, marching out of the kitchen. "I feel like punching stuff."

* * *

><p>March 7th<p>

Dick and Morgan stood underneath the broken street light in front of her old kindergarten in Gotham. They were dressed in civilian clothing, their identities and cover story in place.

After Morgan had been allowed to 'punch stuff', they had quickly settled down to decide how to best go about this.

Morgan had quickly stated that she had absolutely no interest in her dad knowing she was a superhero.

"Only people I trust gets to know that." She'd scowled.

"If he knows about your wings, chances are he'll figure it out by himself the moment he sees you in the news." Nightwing had pointed out.

Morgan's scowl had deepened, acknowledging that he spoke the truth.

"We can't be sure he knows about them. Yet. We'll figure that out once I talk with him. For now, I'm keeping it from him." Morgan had decided.

So, Morgan was meeting him as Morgan and not as Sparrow. And because it would be weird show up with a random superhero for company, Nightwing was in civilian clothing too.

But he was still wearing a pair of sunglasses, despite the dark night. If her father _did_ manage to connect the dots and knew his daughter was the upcoming superhero known as Sparrow, it wouldn't take a genius – and Morgan's father _was_ a genius, if all the research Nightwing had done on him was to be believed – to figure out that the teenager she had met him with was a hero too. And Nightwing wanted to keep his identity secret from this guy.

So, tonight, he was neither Nightwing nor Dick Grayson.

He was Jake Lucas, Morgan's current boyfriend whom she'd met at a bar five months ago.

The cover was awkward if anything, but any other explanation would seem suspicious. Why would she invite him along if he was just a good friend and not her boyfriend? This cover simply seemed more realistic. And Dick, priding himself on his professionalism, planned on playing his part flawlessly and without hesitation.

A car drove past and splashed the puddle they were standing by, water landing on his black sneakers, and Dick frowned in annoyance as he felt some of it leak into his socks.

He checked the watch on his wrist. "10:01" He spoke up. "Your dad's late."

Morgan glared. "Don't call him that."

He rolled his eyes. "_Henrik_ is late."

"No, I'm not." Came a new voice suddenly and Dick found himself truly caught off guard for the first time in a very long time.

The two teenagers jumped and swung around on the spot.

As he caught sight of Henrik, Dick finally knew where Morgan got her hair from.

Her father looked, for all intents and purposes, like a Viking. Dick realized that, given his nationality, he was most likely descended from them, so it made sense.

Standing at nearly two meters, he was a mountain of a man with broad shoulders and a square jaw. Long, thick hair that was wildly curled was tied back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, his jaw covered in an impressive, blonde beard. Intelligent, grey eyes peaked out at them from behind a pair of round glasses.

"Drop the theatrics." Morgan rolled her eyes. "I'm not buying them."

The man's severe face faded into a fond smile as he started chuckling, approaching them in long strides. "I'd hoped my little girl hadn't lost her spirit."

He made an attempt to hug Morgan but she sidestepped his arm quickly, holding up a hand to keep distance. "I already told you that I'm not here for a social visit. I'm only here to get some answers and then I'm leaving again."

Her steely grey eyes, so very like her dads, fixed him with a withering glare. "So cut the crap." She seethed. "And start talking."

Henrik sighed as if he'd expected the moment would go differently. Dick wondered if he'd honestly expected Morgan to welcome him back with open arms.

"And who's this strapping young fellow, then?" He finally acknowledged Dick. He eyed the young man with an air of disapproval, like he thought he'd actually have a say in who Morgan chose to be around.

Dick wrapped an arm around Morgan's waist and squared his jaw defiantly. "I'm Jake. Morgan's boyfriend." He spoke, the words feeling foreign and _wrong_ in his mouth. "She asked me to be here."

The two men suddenly found themselves in a battle of wills as the blond mountain attempted to stare Dick into submission.

_Fat chance_, Dick wryly thought. He'd been trained in stares by _Batman_. Nobody could beat him. And he was wearing his sunglasses still, hiding the already bare minimum of emotions in Dick's eyes.

Henrik broke eye contact first, aiming his gaze back onto his daughter. Morgan had been silent since the small encounter had started. Dick also noted that she'd gotten pretty rigid once he'd wrapped his arm around her and hadn't relaxed her muscles yet.

"Hvordan er dit dansk? Har du holdt det ved lige?"3 He spoke in his native language.

Morgan frowned at him, rolling her eyes once again. "My Danish is fine, Henrik." She responded in English, wrapping a hand around the arm that was settled around her waist. "And there's no need to be rude."

Henrik sighed again, obviously displeased with his daughter's behavior. Dick once again wondered how he could've expected her to act any differently.

"Let's go." He finally relented and turned to leave.

"Where?" Morgan suspiciously asked, her eyes narrowed upon her father.

"This place is too public. We can't talk here." Henrik elaborated. "Now come on."

Morgan looked very much like she wanted to protest but Dick used the arm he had around her waist to guide her forward, the two teenagers falling in step right behind the elder man. This meeting was going to take far too long if Morgan fought her father in everything he did.

Dick's headache would only increase the longer they stayed with the man.

* * *

><p>Morgan allowed herself to be pulled along by Nightwing, the arm around her waist too big of a distraction for her to put up much of a fight.<p>

She told herself it was ridiculous. Nightwing had had his arms around her plenty of times. He was her fighting instructor and sparring, she'd been locked in his embrace more times than she could count; this time shouldn't be any different.

But it totally was different because they _weren't_ training right now, and his arms were only around her for a few seconds at a time when they fought. By now, the hand resting on her hip had been there for several minutes and she was afraid it was going to burn a hole straight through her clothes with the extreme warmth her skin felt where he touched her.

_Absolutely ridiculous_.

They walked down the old pavement until her father suddenly stopped and looked suspiciously to his left, then his right, before ducking into a side alley.

The alley, small, dark, and wet because of the rain they'd been getting all day, a few crates stack in one corner, was entirely uncharming, and Morgan dearly hoped he didn't plan on explaining everything there. Her nose scrunched up as the sewer smell hit her.

Henrik approached the crates and pushed them aside, revealing a decent sized hole in the brick wall. It was wide and roughly four feet tall.

"In here." Henrik pointed at the hole.

Morgan stared at the hole, then her father and then at Dick. He gave her a tiny shrug, barely a twitch of his shoulders, but the messages was clear: _why not?_

She stepped out of his embrace and approached the hole, crouching down to crawl through it. Nightwing was right at her heels until her father placed a large hand on the younger man's shoulder.

She saw Nightwing's muscles tense as he instinctively prepared himself for an attack at the sudden, unwanted contact.

"Lover-boy can wait outside." Henrik ordered, aiming a threatening look at Nightwing. She could see Dick sporting an intense glare behind his sunglasses and she quickly stood up.

"Sorry," Morgan spoke up, approaching the two men and stepping between them. "This is a package deal." She took hold of her dad's wrist and squeezed it roughly, digging her nails into the flesh until he let go. "Either we both go in or we both leave."

He turned a displeased look onto Morgan's face and she simply returned with a blank stare, her mouth drawn into a thin line.

When Morgan didn't relent under his hard, grey eyes as she usually would've done when she was younger, her father eventually looked away and sighed _again._ She was just about ready to punch him the next time he decided to sigh at her like she was a naughty little girl that needed to obey his wishes simply because he'd been her dad once.

Keeping her glare trained on his face, she grasped Nightwing's shoulder and pulled him with her towards the hole. He crawled in first and Morgan kept her eyes on her dad as he did.

Crawling through the hole herself, her eyes worked hard to adjust to the total darkness of the room she found herself in. She held a hand in front of her mouth to keep in the cough that tried to escape when she took a deep breath and got a mouthful of dust. The room was dark, but the large window to her left, which had been closed off with large wooden planks, let in a small sliver of light and it provided just enough view for her to study the room.

It looked like an old office. A large desk, covered in dust and dirt, stood to the side of the room. There was a glass pane door at the other side of the room. Morgan approached it, a sense of familiarity prodding at the back of her mind. Large black letters were plastered onto the door from the other side and Morgan took a small moment to read the backwards letters.

DR. JØRGENSEN, the letters read.

Remembrance felt like a flash of lightning surging through her whole body, starting at the top of her head and swooping down her throat and into her stomach before curling into her feet. Goosebumps, like she really _had_ been struck with an electric charge, rose on her arms and legs, sending a tingle down her spine.

This had been her dad's office back when he still lived in Gotham with Morgan and her mother. Morgan remembered him taking her with him to work every once in a while, remembered drawing small childish doodles as she sat on the old green couch he had in the right corner of the room – or had the couch been blue? – in her small dresses and her curly pigtails bouncing around her face.

Her father had arrived in the room as well by now, saw her gaze at the spot where the couch had been, and, as if guessing her train of thought, spoke up. "You were such a cute kid. Couldn't draw for shit, though."

Morgan felt a small, fond smile quirk at her lips before she realized it. She immediately curled her lips into a scowl instead and crossed her arms over her chest. "If all you wanted to do was remind me of my childhood, I'm leaving now."

He held up his hands in a pacifying manner. "Alright, I'll cut to the case. I'm assuming 'Jake' knows everything?"

Morgan wasn't sure what he meant when he said 'everything'. Did he mean about her wings? Her family history?

She settled for a neutral answer. "He probably knows more than you do."

Henrik gave her a condescending smile and walked towards the door, flicking a switch, and Morgan was surprised when the ceiling light actually flickered to life. The old bulb blinked a few times before bathing the room in an orange glow, only making the room slightly brighter with its weak source.

"I sincerely doubt it." He retaliated. "Take that silly trinket off now, Morgan. It's unnecessary." He motioned for the pendant around her neck as he settled against the table, crossing his arms in front of him.

Morgan and Nightwing exchanged a look. So her father _did_ know about her wings. She hesitated for a moment, heart hammering anxiously in her ribcage before Morgan slowly reached up and unclasped the necklace. A small part of her wondered how he even knew about the necklace's function.

Her wings were now visible to the world and her father's face lit up.

"Extraordinary." He mumbled and made to step closer. Morgan took a step back as he took one forward, not wanting the man to touch her wings, and he stopped in his tracks, realizing that she didn't want him near her.

"What do you know about them?" Morgan demanded harshly. Her father hadn't seemed surprised, more like impressed, meaning that he must have known something about them that she didn't.

He settled back against the table and readjusted his glasses before crossing his arms over his chest again.

"Back when your mother and I were still married, I worked in this building as an upcoming scientist. You were only one and a half at the time, so you don't remember this, but I was working on crossbreeding bird species." He began.

A cold feeling settled in Morgan's stomach. The fact that her father worked on cross breeding birds and that she just _happened_ to have wings just seemed like too much of a coincidence.

"We did some brilliant work, my partner and I. We were both young and ambitious. Soon, only using birds became a bit too.. ordinary for us. We decided to attempt to crossbreed the birds with other animals. After a few failed attempts on some stray dogs and cats we knew nobody was going to miss, we decided to try something.. a little different."

Morgan held up a hand to stop him, feeling nauseous. Nightwing had stepped closer to her during her father's little speech, whether to keep her from falling to the floor when her knees undoubtedly gave out, or to stop her if she attempted to strangle her dad, she wasn't sure.

"Are you telling me that-"

"We both happened to have a child at roughly the same age. Her daughter was a few months older than you. We volunteered both of you as test subjects." He interrupted her, looking like he couldn't hear how unbelievably screwed up what he was saying was.

Morgan felt like someone had literally grabbed hold of her heart and lungs and squeezed for all they were worth. She couldn't breathe, only gape at her father, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Her heart had dropped to her feet. Sweat erupted on her brow and her palms.

"We injected the two of you with what we believed would grant you both bird-like traits. Couldn't be sure _which_ traits though, so we kept you under close surveillance for a long time. After almost nine years with no results, I declared the test a failure and moved back to Denmark, where I continued my research." Her dad plowed on, ignoring the look of horror on both Morgan and Nightwing's faces.

"Unfortunately, one of my other.. secret experiments, this one thankfully not with a human test subject, was discovered and I've been in jail ever since." He explained. "Once I was finally released, my first thought was to return to Gotham and see you again." A soft look suddenly took over his features. "I've wanted to reach out to you countless times during all of those years, Morgan. You have to know that. You're still my little girl even though I thought you'd failed as a test subject." He eyed the wings on her back. "Which I was also wrong about, as I can clearly see."

Morgan found the ability to breathe again, her intakes angry and drastic. Her entire body was shaking with a fury she'd never experienced before. The only reason she'd let him speak without interrupting for so long was that she felt like her lungs had collapsed and her voice had disappeared entirely.

Well, she'd found her voice again.

"You _bastard_." She seethed venomously. "You _sick bastard_! How could you use your _own daughter as a test subject, you psychopath!" _

Her voice had risen to a shout by now. _"What the hell is wrong with you?"_

He looked taken aback at her reaction, and like he was about to defend his actions but Morgan was on a roll and not about to let him off that easily.

"Do you have _any_ idea whose things did to me? They ruined my life! I've been living in self-loathing, fear and isolation for_ five years_ because you decided to play God!"

Nightwing placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Let's go." He urged quietly and gently. He could tell Morgan was about to strike out at Henrik. "We got what we came for, now let's go."

Morgan, through her rage, knew he was right. Leaving her father behind in the dust would almost be as satisfying as clocking him one.

"Can't I at least hit him once?" She mumbled back. She'd regained her composure somewhat, Nightwing's grip and voice soothing. She kept focusing on that, feeling like the warm hand was the only thing that kept her grounded.

He considered her request.

"Fine. Once."

Morgan fixed her stormy eyes back onto her father, her voice dangerous and low. "I'm leaving. And if you ever contact me again, I'll throw you off of a tall building."

"Morgan, don't-"

"_SHUT UP!_" She roared.

With a strangled growl, she threw her arm sideways roughly, and the wall that already had a large hole in it completely gave away, bricks blasting away like a small bomb had gone off.

She barely registered the look of pure shock on her father's face before she jumped forward and aimed a sideways kick at his jaw. He stumbled to the floor with a grunt, and Morgan felt satisfaction settle in her stomach.

"You deserved to spend much longer in prison." She spat at the heap on the floor and marched out of the room, Nightwing at her heels.

She ignored her father's protests as she pulled her pendant out of her pocket and closed it around her neck again before grabbing Nightwing's hand, and started running.

The warm hand in hers was the only thing that kept her focused as Morgan ran away with no specific location in mind, just _away _from her father and the awful truth she'd learned from him. She squeezed it tightly, feeling just a tiny bit better when he held on just as tightly.

As they ran, horror settled even more heavily in her gut as she fully realized the truth of her situation.

She was a genetic freak because her father had made her one.

She was a test subject.

She was an experiment.

Tears blurred her vision and she nearly ran into a lamp post. Nightwing pulled her out of the way and she let him take the lead, hand still clasped in hers as they kept their fast pace down the gloomy streets of Gotham. Tears leaked down her cheeks and throat, soaking into the hem of her blue hoodie.

Some blocks later, Morgan recognized where he was taking them. Back to the Zeta tube site.

He stopped in front of it and Morgan watched with puffy eyes as he typed in a command and guided her through it. Morgan didn't want to go back to the Cave. She didn't want anyone on the Team to see her like this. But she also didn't want to stay on the dank streets of Gotham for the rest of the night. So she allowed him to push her through the tube, figuring it was her best choice to just go back. Maybe she could sneak into her room before anyone saw her.

Morgan honestly had expected to end up in the Cave, so when she found herself on a foreign street in a foreign city, she stopped in her tracks.

Of course they wouldn't go to the Cave, Nightwing was in civilian clothing. Didn't explain where they were now, though.

Nightwing tugged at her hand and kept walking down the street. When she didn't follow, he paused in his steps.

"Come on." He urged gently and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

Morgan sniffed once and followed after, deciding to trust him.

They arrived at an apartment complex and she watched him dig out a key, letting them into the building.

It was when he paused in front of a door with the name 'Dick Grayson' on it that Morgan realized where they were. They were in Blüdhaven and Nightwing had led her to his apartment.

Gratitude was the most prominent feeling in the boiling pot of emotions that was her body at the moment. He knew she didn't want to return to the Cave and have the others see her like this. He knew she didn't want to go to her mother's place in her current state either. He also knew that she didn't have anywhere but those two places to go, so he'd decided to take her back to his place where she could have her emotional breakdown without an audience.

At that moment, Morgan was extremely happy her mentor was that good at reading people. Usually it could get annoying because it made him impossible to lie to, but right now she was grateful.

He unlocked the door and stepped into his dark apartment, flicking a switch next to the door with practiced ease, not even looking at it, no doubt having repeated that action thousands of times.

Light flickered to life above them, revealing a small and cozy apartment. The kitchen and living room was combined, separated by a counter with three barstools. She could see another door at the end of the square room and assumed it led to his bedroom. The entire place was neat and tidy, exactly like Morgan would've expected Nightwing's apartment to look like.

Morgan paused in the doorway and watched as Nightwing walked towards his kitchen, throwing his keys and sunglasses onto the small counter. She was unsure what she was supposed to do.

As if guessing her train of thought, Dick looked back at her. "Sit." He ordered and pointed one hand at the small island that separated the kitchen and living room.

She dragged herself further into the room and slowly pulled out one of the barstools, climbing onto it. Her mentor shuffled around his little kitchen, producing a steaming mug of cocoa in no time. He set the beverage in front of Morgan silently and she gratefully wrapped her numb fingers around the mug.

She wasn't necessarily cold – the evening had been pretty warm – but after her first bout of fury had faded, she'd descended into a numbing sadness that seemed to almost physically dull her senses. The hot mug felt soothing against her hands. She knew she should've been crying right now, but she'd already spent her tears on their walk to his apartment and had no more to give. Her eyes stung and were undoubtedly red rimmed and puffy, matching her runny nose.

He pulled out his own stool on the other side of the table and sat down too, propping his elbows onto the counter.

There was a long silence, occasionally broken by Morgan taking a small sip from the –admittedly – well-made cocoa. Dick switched between studying her and shifting his eyes around the room in thought as the moment stretched on.

Eventually, Morgan pushed the mug slightly away, finding she didn't really have the appetite for it. She ran both hands through her hair as she lowered her head onto the grey surface of the table, weary to her very core.

Still Nightwing said nothing. It seemed he was waiting for her to speak first.

Morgan sighed.

"I'm such an unbelievably screwed up mess." She mumbled behind her mane of hair.

"No." Her mentor simply disagreed. She hesitantly moved to look up at him. "What was done to you is messed up. You're not." He spoke with such simple conviction, like he believed this to be the obvious and utter truth. It comforted Morgan immensely. If others perceived her as whole, maybe it'd help her to stop feeling so broken.

She mustered up a small, appreciative smile, and because of the dried tears on her face, her cheeks stretched uncomfortably with the movement.

Nightwing stared at the standard clock that hung on his kitchen wall. "It's late." He said. "You should get some sleep."

Morgan felt her heart take a small plunge at his words. She didn't want to go to sleep. She didn't want to return to the Cave right now. She wanted to disappear for a while.

"I don't want to." She protested, cheeks flushing slightly at what she said next. "I- I don't want to go back to the Cave just yet."

Dick looked at her with an unreadable expression. "I know." He admitted.

* * *

><p>1 "I'll kill you when this is over!"<p>

2 'Skat' is a danish term of endearment, like sweetie and darling. It's literally translation is 'treasure'.

3 "How is your danish? Have you kept using it?"

Well! More stuff for Morgan to angst about. Yipee.

Soooo, how do you like Morgan's dad so far? Bit of a dick, eh?

You guys have been absolutely AMAZING with reviewing lately! It makes me update even faster because I get so excited over your reactions.

Oh, and you'll want to review this chapter a lot because you _really_ want to read the next chapter, trust me. So, the moment I get a satisfactory amount of reviews, I'll post the next chapter (Which, I will once again stress, you really do want to read)

It's in your lovely hands, my beautiful readers ;)

Fun fact: My cousin's name is Henrik. I'm pretty sure the name actually has french roots, but it's just so _danish, _so I decided to call the father that.


	25. Awkward Nudity

Chapter Twenty Five

Awkward Nudity

Morgan lay on the couch in Nightwing small living room, listening to the _tick tock _of the clock on his wall.

Like hell she was going to fall asleep now.

Not with her head racing with everything that had happened that day. Not with half of her face buried in a pillow that smelled so much like him. Not with her damp hair, reminding her of the fact that she'd showered in his bathroom and dried herself off with one of his towels. Not with her upper body drowning in one of his large t-shirts, which she'd borrowed for the night because she hadn't had a change of clothes once she'd finished her shower.

Not after she'd accidentally walked in on him shirtless after her shower, wearing nothing but underwear and a towel herself.

It wasn't even her fault. The only entrance to his bathroom was in the bedroom so she kind of _had_ to pass through to get to the living room. He'd told her that once she finished her bath, he'd lend her a t-shirt to sleep in, but she'd forgotten to take the t-shirt with her into the bathroom.

After realizing this, she had cursed colorfully for thirty seconds straight, running a hand through her hair in frustration as she attempted to figure out what she should do.

In the end, she had decided that this was _Nightwing_ and she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She was wearing a towel, with underwear underneath. She was, debatably, decent. So, she'd wrapped the towel extra firmly around her body – glad that she was so short and he was so tall, meaning he needed big towels, because the towel reached all the way down to past her knees – and slowly unlocked the bathroom door, peaking into his bedroom.

What a mistake that had proved to be.

The room was dark, only illuminated by the half-way opened bathroom door and the moon. He was in the middle of changing, already having discarded his leather jacket and was halfway out of the dark-grey t-shirt he'd been wearing underneath.

Morgan was thankful he hadn't gotten rid of his pants too.

She cleared her throat to gain his attention just as he slipped the t-shirt over his head in that extremely attractive way boys do where they pull at the hem from behind and shrug it over their head, mussing up his hair deliciously.

And then, as he turned and threw the t-shirt into his laundry basket, Morgan was blessed with a full view of his torso in all of its naked, lean, muscle-y glory.

Though she knew he must've heard the bathroom door open, he only seemed to register her presence when she had cleared her throat.

Morgan did _everything _she could not to stare but _oh my god_.

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

A rather unwanted memory of Rachel saying that she would 'climb him like a tree' entered Morgan's mind and she was glad for the relative darkness in the room so he couldn't see the scarlet blush creeping up her neck, heading straight for her cheeks. Reluctantly, she had to admit that she could _totally_ understand where the other girl was coming from because,_ damn_, he was just too handsome to exist.

The guy looked like perfection personified, Morgan decided. Especially with the mussed up hair and the unnecessarily low-riding, fit jeans – seriously, how was that fair? Did he not care about her blood pressure?

Why did she have such a weakness for well-muscled guys?

Well, not all well-muscled guys. Maybe she just had a weakness for _him_.

"Uhm," Morgan began, trying to remember what it was she had wanted before the entirely unexpected – but not entirely unwelcome – distraction.

He looked at her as he waited for her to speak. Morgan wondered if he was doing that supermodel-smolder thing on purpose of if it was the limited light in the room that made it _look _like it.

What was it she had wanted again?

Oh, right. A t-shirt.

"I forgot the t-shirt." She explained, voice small and squeaky.

He looked at the foot of his bed where he'd put the t-shirt twenty minutes earlier, where she had been supposed to pick it up. And where she'd totally forgotten it.

Morgan fully intended to close the small distance and pick the shirt up herself. But she was suddenly inexplicably nailed to the floor, halfway hidden behind the bathroom door. She was all too aware that she was only in a towel herself, wet hair leaving behind small trails of water down her collar bone and the top of her chest, soaking into the hem of the towel.

Before she had the chance to pull herself together, Dick approached the t-shirt and picked it up.

Morgan oogled the way his muscles moved and shifted when he walked over and picked up the t-shirt. Then – _oh god, no, stay away – _he walked _towards her_ and offered the shirt without a word.

She gingerly took it, keeping her eyes stoutly trained on the red fabric and _not_ on his glorious torso or his intense, deep blue eyes. Or his seriously well-muscled biceps.

Or just all of him altogether. Not looking. Not looking.

_Ugh, why does he have to be so extremely handsome? _

Her eyes darted briefly to his chest, tracing his abs before she realized what she was doing and forcibly refocused on the t-shirt.

"Thanks." She forced out, mortified when the word came off like a frightened squeak and not an actual word.

"No problem." He quickly responded and turned around – giving her a full view of his equally muscle-y back, _lord have MERCY_ – and sat down on his bed, shrugging off his sneakers. He seemed too damn at ease about being in such a state of undress around her. It was like he didn't even _care_ that he was showing off all of that skin.

Before he got the chance to start taking off his _jeans_, Morgan slammed the bathroom door shut behind her and locked it, leaning against the wooden frame until her heart rate somewhat returned to normal.

She considered staying in there for the rest of the night. There was no way in hell she was leaving this bathroom again if he was going to prance around like a half-naked dream come true. If she curled up in the right angle on the floor, she was sure it wasn't that uncomfortable.

Then Morgan shook her head to clear it of the slight panic she was experiencing. Taking three deep breaths she reminded herself that she'd faced down multiple armed men at the same time without blinking. She'd faced down green aliens and a huge bomb.

Why should an extremely attractive, bare-chested teenager intimidate her?

Because, this was _so_ completely different than fighting criminals.

She pulled off the towel and used it to dry her hair an extra time – no, she totally wasn't stalling – before she slipped the t-shirt over her head.

It reached her mid-thigh, Morgan realized with relief. Had it landed even a bit higher up, she'd have had to wear her jeans too, and she was too exhausted to bother with them.

Despite her resolve to skip her jeans – if he got to prance around with no shirt on, she was allowed to show off a bit of leg – she still stood in front of the mirror and worried her bottom lip as she tried to convince herself that it wasn't too short for her to go without pants.

She tugged at it several times, but after realizing that this only served to make more skin visible around her collar bone and chest area, she stopped. He'd ripped part of the back open, assuring her that it was 'okay, the t-shirt was old and ugly anyway', to allow her wings freedom. Meaning that enough skin on her back was visible anyway, she didn't want to create more of a view than there already was.

Morgan gathered her discarded clothes up off the floor and folded them into a small bunch under her left arm. Telling herself once more to _act her age,_ she turned the lock on the door and stepped out of the bathroom.

She located her mentor and wondered just how much time she'd spent in the bathroom.

He was seemingly already asleep, lying on his stomach with one arm tugged under his pillow, the other lying top of it, fisting a handful of the pillowcase in his long fingers. Half of his face was buried in his pillow, black locks of hair falling in front of his closed eyes, dark lashes framing his lids.

His face was peaceful and relaxed, a look Morgan had rarely seen on her mentor before.

The covers stopped just below his shoulders, giving her a nice look of the taut muscles in his shoulders and arms.

Morgan quickly looked away, feeling like an absolute creep for watching someone else in their sleep.

She flicked the light switch in the bathroom, leaving the room bathed in nothing but the moonlight, and she cursed slightly to herself as she walked slowly out, hoping she didn't trip over anything in the darkness and wake him up.

"Good night, Morgan." Came his voice suddenly from the bed.

Morgan jumped a foot into the air, her nerves absolutely fried at this point.

"Uh," She cast a quick look over her shoulder to find his blue eyes open, looking at her. She smiled slightly, trying to appear casual. "Good night."

And now, here she was, lying on his couch, her heart still beating a little faster than usual, trying to calm herself down enough to fall asleep.

Problem was, every time she closed her eyes, she _swore _the image of his bare torso popped up _without_ her consent.

Also, as she showered, she'd had to borrow some of his shampoo, which had led to the very distressing side effect of her hair now smelling like him – seriously what sort of _weirdo_ used apple-scented shampoo?

Nice smelling weirdos. That's who used apple-scented shampoo.

Another problem was, every time her eyes were open, she thought of what had brought her here, to his apartment, late at night.

The origin of her wings was no longer a mystery. Her father had done it to her.

A weird sense of closure settled in her stomach, mingling with the betrayal and the grief that her father could've ever done something like this to her.

She grabbed a tight hold of the comforter and pulled it all the way up over her chin, curling in on herself.

She had harbored hateful emotions towards her father for a long time, this wasn't anything new. And knowing about the truth just reinforced those feelings. It didn't matter.

She'd wanted answers, and she'd gotten them.

Now all she had to do was move on. Forget about her failure of a father and move on. Use the wings he'd forced onto her to do good.

Forget where they came from an instead think of where they could take her.

She'd gotten answers about her wings. But, Morgan realized with a flicker of annoyance, she still didn't know where her telekinesis had come from.

She'd seen the shocked expression on her father's face when she'd blasted a hole through the wall. He hadn't known about her powers.

Meaning he wasn't responsible for them.

Meaning Morgan had to find answers elsewhere.

Meaning her search wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

* * *

><p>March 8th<p>

Dick's alarm clock blared to life, quite rudely awakening the sleeping teenager.

His brow furrowed in distaste as he was forced from his sleep-induced state of bliss. A heavy arm reached up and hit the snooze button automatically.

Squinting one eye at the clock, he wondered why he'd set it to ring this early – seriously, seven thirty was ridiculous – when he didn't actually have any classes today.

The sound of someone turning over in their sleep, the ruffle of a comforter, reached his ears and he suddenly remembered why.

Morgan had slept over.

She was lying on his sofa, at this very moment, in nothing by her underwear and one of his old t-shirts.

He groaned and tugged his own covers up over his tired head. It was far too early in the morning to be thinking about images like that.

He lay for another ten minutes and then the alarm blared to life again. This time, the teenager forced himself to sit up and shut off the alarm properly. He stood up, stretched like a cat, and, just because he had guests, he shrugged on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants over his boxers.

He walked barefooted into his combined living room and kitchen, careful to not wake Morgan and opened up his fridge. Pulling out a large carton of orange juice, he poured himself a glass and went about searching of something breakfast-y that he could prepare.

If there was one thing Alfred had managed to drill into his head, it was how to be a good host. And serving breakfast after having someone sleep over was at the top of the list of things you were supposed to do to be a good host.

He smirked in triumph when he found a bag of bread in one of his cupboards that wasn't past its expiration date. In the fridge he found eggs, a package of butter, honey and jam.

He was slightly grateful he'd gone shopping just two days ago. Normally, his fridge was pretty empty, as was his cupboards. He was too busy to cook very often, resulting in take-out or instant noodles more often than he was willing to admit.

Dick purposefully scrambled loudly around the kitchen in an attempt to wake Morgan up without having to actually wake her. He got the feeling she was a grumpy waker.

The girl in question was lying partly on her stomach, one arm tugged under her head, the other falling off the side of the couch, hand scraping against the floor. Her left wing was folded neatly against her back, her right dangling limply off the side of the couch and covering most of her upper body from view – a good thing since she had shrugged the covers off of her torso during the night and the shirt she wore had crawled up high on her stomach – also touching the floor.

Most of her face was covered by wild, blonde curls.

The scrambling he did with the pan as he fried the eggs seemed to do the trick as her relaxed features scrunched up, and she drew in a deep breath, her right hand rising off of the floor to rub at her face.

"Good morning." He greeted her as she opened one grey eye to spot him.

She rose up onto one elbow and pushed her hair out of her face. She opened both eyes and studied him briefly.

Folding her right wings to her back, she turned over onto her back and slung an arm over her face. "Oh, thank god." She groggily said.

"Thank god what?" He asked.

"You just strike me as the type that walks around naked in the morning."

Dick was unwilling to admit for close to the truth she'd actually come with that statement.

"Not when I have guests." He responded, knowing she'd think it was a joke.

It totally wasn't.

"Well, thank you for extending the small courtesy of wearing clothes, at least." She quipped as she sat up, red t-shirt pooling around her small frame.

She stood and stretched her body as far as it could go, probably not realizing that by doing so, she was giving Dick a very clear look of her underwear.

He redirected his eyes back onto the eggs.

"Breakfast is almost ready." He informed her.

"Awesome." She sat down again on the sofa, a wide yawn leaving her mouth as she looked for her pants with tired, half-lidded eyes.

Dick flipped the eggs on the frying pan as Morgan shrugged her jeans on and stood up again.

Morgan stretched her wings, shaking them a bit, and with a vague – very, _very _vague, like, barely even there, you-need-a-microscope-to-spot-it vague – sense of attraction – again, very vague because he was not attracted to Morgan like that at _all _– and quite a lot of amusement, Dick noticed that, not only did Morgan sport the wildest bed head he'd ever seen, she also had bed_ wings_, the feathers ruffled and messy.

Seriously, that was adorable. He was willing to admit that.

Morgan approach the kitchen, dragging her steps as she yawned widely again, obviously still exhausted.

"Man, I'm beat." She complained.

"When did you fall asleep?"

"I dunno." She shrugged as she settled onto the same barstool she'd sat on the night before. "I think it was three AM I last looked at the time before I fell asleep."

Dick could understand why she'd have trouble falling asleep. If he'd received the same news she'd gotten the previous night, he'd probably have spent the rest of the night with his mind reeling too.

"So," He put a plate of eggs and toast in front of her, serving the same thing on his own as he settled down at the other side of the small counter. "What are you going to do now?"

Morgan looked at her eggs in distaste and pushed them to the corner of her plate before buttering her toast, holding her knife loosely in her hand as she contemplated his question. So, apparently she didn't like eggs. He made a mental note of this.

"I'm going to do what I've been already been doing, I guess. Train. Fight evil. Become a hero." She shrugged. Her intense tone betrayed her casual body language. "Just because I got my wings through an insane scientist father doesn't mean I'm not gonna use them to do good. I'm going to take something he had only meant to be a small experiment and make it so much more than he'd imagined. But it'll be by my _own_ hands, my _own_ achievements, and not because he 'gifted' me with wings."

Dick nodded to himself, glad that she seemed more determined than ever to enter the hero life and that her new-found knowledge hadn't soured the entire thing for her.

"What are you going to tell your mother?" Dick asked, realizing that this was actually a pretty big deal. He could only imagine the guilt and confusion Morgan's mother would have to go through when she found out that her ex-husband had literally used their daughter as a lab-rat and she never realized.

"Nothing." Morgan decided, pressing her lips into a thin line. "She's better off not knowing. If he wants her to know, he can tell her herself. I'm not going to make her cry again."

He _really_ wanted to protest. But he didn't. This was her own decision. And, in a way, he could understand her desire to spare her mother, even though he wasn't sure he agreed that it was the best thing to do.

"There's a new problem too." Morgan spoke up when Dick hadn't answered.

"Which is?"

Honestly, they had so many problems, he wasn't sure which one she was referring to.

"There's another one out there. My father mentioned his colleague's daughter was used too." Morgan pointed out. "Somewhere out there, there might be another girl going through the exact same thing I've been going through."

"We'll do some digging.." Dick decided. "Try to find her."

"When?"

He downed his orange juice. "Whenever there's time, I guess. I suggest we keep this off the record for now. We can work on this from my apartment. No need to include the Team."

Morgan nodded. "I'd like to keep it under wraps for now. I'm not.." She pursed her lips and rephrased. "I need to get used to the truth before I'm ready to tell anyone. I need to come to terms with it."

Dick nodded. "I can respect that."

Morgan smiled gratefully at him, spreading jam onto a piece of toast. "Thanks."

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. Once they had polished off two eggs, half a carton of orange juice and six slices of toast, Dick got up and started cleaning their meal away.

"He didn't know about my other power." She suddenly added.

Dick knew. He'd seen the look on Henrik's face. Her father hadn't expected her to be able to do anything but fly. "I know."

"So we still don't know where it came from."

Dick thought he had an idea, but he didn't voice it. It was only a small idea. He didn't have enough facts, didn't know enough about it yet to want to mention. He didn't want to ignite hope in her if he turned out to be wrong.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if this meta-gene thing the Kroloteans had been so desperately looking for in humans was the secret to understanding why Morgan had the powers she did.

* * *

><p>March 19th<p>

_"Next on Godfrey's _bonehead_ list; the launch of Ferris Aircraft's new Earth-Mars communication satellite. That's right, folks. It's not enough we've been invaded by aliens now we're going out of our way to _contactthem_! My friends if you're asking what's wrong with this picture you're not alone. That's why old G. Gordon's jumping on a plane to Florida to get to the bottom of this –" _

"Literally _what_ is this guy's problem with aliens, though?" Morgan blurted out, unable to keep her tongue any longer. She grabbed the remote and muted the program to stop the man's constant yammering.

Connor, standing behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, answered. "Some people are always reserved when it comes to foreign things. Unfortunately, this one just happens to own a news channel."

Morgan leaned her head back against the armrest, curls spilling over the side of the couch and sighed loudly. "He's a total douche-muffin. Like, he doesn't even _know_ any aliens, why does he automatically think they're all bad?"

Turning over so her feet came into contact with the floor, she stood up quickly, blinking when blood suddenly rushed from her head and spots danced in front of her eyes "Woah." She took a hand to her head as she waited for the spots and dizziness to disappear, swaying slightly on the spot.

How long had she been lying on that couch?

"For the record," She continued once her head had cleared. "I think you guys are awesome. But maybe that's just because I'm not _entirely_ human myself. I guess." Morgan shrugged.

She hadn't told anyone yet about the discovery she'd made twelve days ago. So far, no one knew that her wings were a product of her father's illegal human/bird transmutation experiments. Morgan wondered if it made her a certain percent bird. Like, ninety percent human, ten percent bird. Or something like that.

Connor, face usually drawn into a vaguely pissed of expression, softened somewhat and offered her a small quirk that _almost_ resembled a smile.

"Connor."

At the new voice, the two heroes looked at the doorway, spotting Nightwing.

"Briefing's any moment now." He informed.

Connor nodded and headed for the briefing room.

Morgan leaned against the head rest of the couch, watching the tall man walk away. As much as she tried to, she couldn't help but feel jealousy squirm around in her stomach. She wished she could go. Directing her eyes towards her feet, she kept telling herself that she'd be allowed to go when Nightwing thought she was ready. And she trusted his judgment.

Connor left the room, but Nightwing didn't. "You too, Morgan." He suddenly said.

Morgan's eyes snapped back up and pinned her mentor immediately. Did this mean what she thought it meant?

"For real?" She asked, hardly daring to believe he was letting her go on a mission. "You're letting me go on this mission?"

"Yes," He smiled a small smile. "I'm going too. Consider it training."

She resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air and yell at the top of her lungs, pretty sure that this would probably be considered immature behavior and might change his mind about letting her go.

"Suit up." He ordered. "Meet in the main room in ten."

"Yes sir!" Morgan yelled enthusiastically and practically bounced out of the room, running towards her bedroom as fast as she could.

Determined to be there on time, if not early, she rushed out of her clothes the moment she arrived at her room and pulled on her suit as fast as possible. Taking off her glamour charm, she threw the necklace onto her bedside table and grabbed a hair band residing on the wooden surface in one fluid movement.

Clicking her own, _custom made_, belt into place around her waist, she checked to make sure the pouches where properly stocked. Nightwing had given her a bit of advice on what he'd learned to be useful on a mission during his ten years of experience.

She had a bunch of stuff like a lock-pick, a small penknife – not as a weapon but rather as a tool is she found herself bound or needed to cut through something – and some string (She wasn't sure what she needed it for but Nightwing had assured her that it would come in handy at some point), to list a few. There were also some more high-tech gadgets, but she hadn't read the manual for them yet, so she didn't know what most of them did.

She also kept a few spare scrunchies in there. Just in case.

Putting on a pair of socks, she quickly pulled her boots on and fastened them, making sure they weren't too loose or too tight.

Marching out of her room, she found herself in the main room after only five minutes.

Morgan made sure to walk _casually_ towards the place as she braided her hair back. She didn't want to appear unprofessional.

The echo of Mal's deep voice met her right before she entered the briefing room, subject intriguing her immediately.

"_They're both gonna wind up our responsibility, aren't they_?" He asked in a sort of resigned way.

"Not necessarily." Nightwing answered just as Morgan rounded a corner, the three men coming into view.

She studied the screens in front of the others to figure the subject out. A picture of Impulse as well as some other guy she was pretty sure was named Roy – hadn't M'gann explained something about a Roy being a clone and looking for the original him? And finally finding him a few weeks ago? – was displayed in the middle of the four screens, and Morgan understood what Mal had meant.

It seemed like the Team attracted all the people with powers, that were too young to join the League.

She wondered if Mal had asked Nightwing the same thing, with the same tired voice, back when she'd first joined.

"Bart, Impulse, is staying with Jay and Joan Garrick in Central City." Nightwing explained. "Roy, the original Speedy, is recuperating at Royal Memorial Hospital in Star City. Arrows, both Green and Red are watching over him."

Nightwing almost sounded like he expected the two heroes to not end up on the Team's list of responsibilities.

"Huh-uh." Mal skeptically said. "They're both gonna wind up our responsibility."

The three men looked in her direction briefly to acknowledge her presence when she came up to stand next to Mal on the opposite site of Connor, the two of them only looking mildly surprised when they saw she was in her suit.

"Doesn't everything?" Connor grouched, getting back on track. "I mean, where are we on identifying the Light's new partner?"

Morgan slipped on her mask as her mentor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No progress.." he admitted, sounding tired and frustrated.

"We'll get 'em." Morgan simply said, shrugging. "People like that don't lay low for long, do they?"

"No, they don't." Connor agreed, though he didn't sound happy. "Problem is, usually when they surface, it brings us a whole lot of trouble. Which is why I'd like to find them _before_ they get the chance to make a move."

Knowing he had a point, she bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from calling him a pessimist.

Giggling erupted from the other side of the room and the four of them looked at the entrance as M'gann and La'gaan arrived.

"La'gaan," M'gann chastised between giggles, "Don't eat so fast!"

La'gaan went on, talking about cakes with crabs in them or something – Morgan's wasn't paying much attention to their conversation, she was too busy trying to figure out exactly _what_ their relationship even was.

She really did try to believe that the two of them were ridiculously in love. But somehow, the whole thing just seemed.. too mushy to be genuine. She had no doubt that the two really _did_ have feelings for each other, but she also couldn't help but think that all of the kissing and the mushy stuff was an attempt to cover up the fact that their feelings weren't actually that strong.

Not that Morgan was an expert on relationships, seeing as she had absolutely zero experience. And maybe she just thought they were weird because she couldn't imagine _herself_ being that mushy. But that didn't mean other people couldn't be. Personal preference and all that.

"You're gonna choke, silly." M'gann warned him in between giggles when La'gaan stuffed his face with another cake.

Morgan resisted the urge to snicker when she heard Connor mutter "If only."

As Superboy tended to do whenever the happy couple arrived on the scene, he made to leave. "Call me when the briefing actually starts." He grumbled and headed for the exit.

Behind them, the Zeta tube lit up, the bodiless female voice announced that Artemis – Wait, the archery girl? Wasn't she retired? – had arrived.

A tall, gorgeous blonde in a green costume, with tan skin and big, dark eyes, emerged from the tube. Morgan had met her once before, when she and Wally had visited the Cave during Christmas, but it had been a brief meeting and Morgan wasn't sure if the other girl remembered her.

"Time for the briefing." Nightwing announced, smiling.

"Artemis!" M'gann exclaimed excitedly, leaving a – after having to catch the tray of crab-cakes when his girlfriend ceased to levitate it – disgruntled La'gaan in the dust.

"Hi, M'gann!" Artemis responded with just as much eagerness as the other girl fiercely embraced her.

"How's Wally?" M'gann questioned when she'd pulled back.

"He's," Artemis paused, searching for the right word. "You know, he's _Wally." _

The two girls laughed as the remaining heroes approached them and Morgan knew there was some inside joke she wasn't getting. As usual.

"Welcome back, girl." Mal greeted the blonde, placing a large hand on her slim shoulder.

"Hey Mal!"

Connor reached the small group, an actual _smile _on his lips. "We have _so_ missed you around here." He sounded genuinely happy, something Morgan rarely experienced from the stoic alien.

"Connor!" Artemis also sounded very much pleased to see her old team mate.

Morgan hovered halfway between the small group and Nightwing, not entirely sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't _know_ Artemis so she couldn't really join in on their little happy reunion. But not greeting her either would be kind of awkward too.

Morgan needed to take a few classes on how to act in a social setting, she decided. Five years of isolation didn't help much in that aspect.

"I relish this opportunity to finally fight beside you archer." Lagoon Boy said, having caught up the group and now standing beside M'gann like an obedient little boyfriend.

"Um, thanks, La'gaan." Artemis haltingly answered, perhaps not sure how to react to the, admittedly, strange choice of words.

At least, Morgan thought, she wasn't the only awkward duckling in the room.

And if Lagoon Boy got to go and say something awkward without being embarrassed, so did she, Morgan decided. She took in a deep breath and stepped up to the group, ending up beside Connor.

"Hi, Artemis." She greeted with a small hand wave – and then immediately wondering why on earth she'd done a _small hand wave oh my goodness you freaking disaster what is wrong with you – "_I'm not sure you remember me, I'm –"

"Morgan, right?" Artemis interrupted, a friendly smile on her face. "I remember you, we met last Christmas."

Morgan smiled gratefully, glad the other girl had responded so positively to her approach.

"Okay, Gamma squad, listen up." Nightwing spoke up, taking control of the briefing once again.

The small group walked up to their leader as he explained their task.

"The mission is in Cape Canaveral. Covert operation to safeguard the first Earth-Mars communication-satellite. There are people out there who don't even like the _idea_ of aliens and will do anything to scrub this launch."

"But, that's why I came back." Artemis whispered, and Morgan turned her head to spot the archer placing a reassuring hand on a crestfallen M'gann's shoulder. "Because not all of us feel that way."

Morgan was reminded of herself saying something along those lines to Connor earlier when they'd been watching the news with G. Godfrey.

"So why are you going?" Mal asked Nightwing.

Morgan suddenly found herself wondering the same thing. In the now five months she'd been on the team, she'd only seen her mentor go on a mission a small handful of times, and only ever when the team had been stretched thin or the mission was a highly dangerous one. Why was he going now? The mission seemed simple enough; there wasn't even any guarantee of a threat. They were really only acting as a safety-precaution. Hardly highly dangerous, and the team wasn't stretched thin at all.

"Let's just say that after running this team for a year.." He started, a small mischievous smile on his face as he readjusted his glove in a 'let's get shit done' fashion, "I'm peckish for a little action."

And if Morgan thought that sounded kinda sexual, she did not show it.

And neither was she attracted by it.

* * *

><p>So, yeah. That happened. I hope I didn't break any of you.<p>

Seriously, when I see how much you guys freak out over a simple kiss on the cheek, I can't help but wonder what's going to happen when we get to the actual stuff. And then I feel bad because you probably freak out over it because I'm a horrible author that severely deprives you of any romantic goodness. We will get there!

So, those of you who know the series well probably know what's gonna happen now. We've reached _that_ chapter.

I posted early because you gave me an aboslutely overwhelming amount of reviews. We've skipped the three hundred mark! Thank you all so much!

Fun fact: Morgan's absolute favourite movie is the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. It is the _one _movie she will literally never get tired of watching.


	26. The Hiccup

Chapter Twenty Six

The Hiccup

"It suits you."

Morgan looked up and locked eyes with the only other blonde in the Bio ship. They were sitting at the same station, close enough to hold a hushed conversation without it carrying to the rest of the ship.

Not that they'd been having a hushed conversation. Morgan had been staring out the window since they'd gotten on board, unsure _if _and _how_ she should engage the other girl in conversation.

"Pardon?" She asked.

"The superhero life." Artemis elaborated. "I know I've only met you once before, but I can still remember what you were like back then. You look healthier now. Stronger too. And happier."

Morgan automatically smiled gratefully at her words. "Thanks."

She leaned forward in her chair, wishing it wasn't so uncomfortable on her wings. Some chairs were worse than others, and the ones in the bio ship kind of squished them because they reached so high up.

"I suppose all the training and the eating and the socializing tends to leave its mark." She mused.

Artemis sighed happily. "That's what I miss the most. Spending most of my day every day with the Team. They become family."

Morgan nodded in agreement, staring ahead of them as they zipped over the landscape below. "They really do."

"We're almost there." Nightwing announced, and M'gann turned the Bio ship into camouflage mode, letting them hover in the air above the site.

Below them, surrounded by four red construction towers, stood the large satellite, magnificent and huge in the waning sunlight. A gathering of reporters and journalists were slowly amassing in front of a podium next to the launching site, eagerly waiting to cover the story.

Nobody got out of the ship. During the flight, Nightwing had reminded all of them of just how short handed the League was and explained that they were going to have to play a little masquerade.

Superboy, with much complaining and grumbling, grabbed the bundle of red and blue cloth Nightwing had handed him earlier and slipped into the back of the ship where he could change in private.

Once he got back out, Morgan couldn't stop a snort of amusement.

She clamped a hand in front of her mouth and nose to avoid another.

It wasn't so much Superboy posing in Superman's suit that was funny – though that was kind of funny too – it was the murderous glare on his face.

A murderous glare which he directed at her once she had let out her snort, making her straighten her posture and shut up immediately. She still kept her hand over her mouth to hide her grin.

"Alright, everyone." Nightwing spoke up, and Gamma squad gathered around him, waiting for instructions. "Lagoon Boy, we need you in the water. Look out for any potential threats coming from the sea."

The green-skinned teenager nodded at his orders.

"Superboy, and Miss Martian, you will be posing as Superman and Martian Manhunter."

Connor scowled, but didn't protest.

"M'gann, can you hover Connor in the air above the site so nobody gets close enough to see his face?"

"Easy." M'gann answered.

"Good. You'll be at the press conference as Martian Manhunter. Make sure everyone sees you and then return to the Bio Ship. The two of you are responsible for guarding the air on this mission."

Lagoon Boy looked like he wanted to strongly protest at his 'Angelfish' and Superboy going together, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Artemis, Sparrow," The two blondes snapped to attention. "You're with me. We'll be stationed in one of the construction towers, keeping eyes on the ground."

Morgan wanted to ask him why he was asking the girl on the team with a pair of _wings_ to cover the ground instead of the air, but she didn't. She knew it was because he wanted to keep her close by so he could keep an eye on her. This was the first mission she'd gotten to go on since that fiasco with the Kroloteans and their underground layer, and Nightwing obviously wanted to make sure she didn't get injured because he'd let her go on a mission too soon.

"Alright, everyone. Go!" He ordered.

M'gann abruptly morphed into her uncle. Morgan was standing beside her and thus didn't notice until she turned and was suddenly met with the much taller, broader and rather more intimidating sight of the Martian Manhunter instead of his niece.

"I still get slightly freaked _and_ jealous whenever you do that." She admitted, watching as the Martian's face split into a grin.

She – or he? – levitated Superboy off the floor and flew the two of them out, disappearing behind the ship.

Nightwing sat down by the controls and flew closer to the ocean next to them, allowing Lagoon Boy to drop into the water below.

Next, he flew the ship towards the nearest tower, hovering beside it. A hole appeared in the floor beside the three of them.

"Aren't you gonna land?" Morgan questioned.

"No. Miss Martian and Superboy need access to the Bio ship in the air." Nightwing reminded her.

"How are you guys going to get down, then?" She wondered. "Because _I'm_ not carrying you."

Artemis cocked an arrow onto her bow, a small smirk on her lips. "That," She fired the arrow, which had a thin, black wire attached to it, watching with satisfaction as it latched itself onto the side of the tower. "Won't be necessary."

Now, one side of the line attached to the tower and the other to the Bio ship, Artemis used it to glide down and onto the observation deck of the tower.

Nightwing, using the same line, followed suit.

Morgan straightened her shoulders and approached the hole, mentally preparing to be Sparrow for the next few hours.

Then, she jumped out. Morgan waited a few seconds before spreading her, by now, impressive wingspan. She enjoyed the rush of the fall, the tickling in the stomach.

Spreading her wings, she beat them powerfully a few times before gliding down and onto the platform, landing nimbly next to her mentor.

"You've gotten good at your landings." He complimented.

"Thanks," Morgan smiled, standing straight. "I've been practicing them a lot. Not very intimidating if the first thing the baddies sees you do is stumble over your own feet."

Nightwing nodded his agreement before handing the two girls a pair of binoculars each.

The three of them settled in each their respective corner, watching the site and the desert landscape surrounding it silently.

Morgan occasionally trained her binoculars onto the press conference, watching M'gann pose as her uncle.

"I wish we could hear what's going on down there." Morgan said quietly. "Ouch." She grimaced, gaining the attention of Artemis.

"What?" The other girl asked.

"That G. Gordon dude is down there." Morgan explained.

"The anti-alien guy?"

"Exactly."

"Sparrow," Nightwing's almost resigned voice carried over to the two.

She looked up at her mentor.

"Focus." He reminded her.

"Sorry." Morgan replied, putting her binoculars up to her eyes again, proceeding to keep an eye on everything going on beneath her.

Five minutes passed in silence. Morgan started to feel the nerves she'd previously harbored from being on a mission slowly wane. She was starting to doubt that any trouble would even come their way at all. Everything was peaceful and quiet. She used the opportunity to study the stars above them. The sun had almost fully set, leaving a purple sky behind with more and more stars coming out.

She remembered the last time she'd watched the stars. She'd been sitting in a tree with her mentor, eating pizza and talking about dating experience.

How very odd that seemed now. The very same guy was standing a few feet away, but at the same time, he was an entirely different person.

He'd been doing this for so long, Morgan wondered if Nightwing himself sometimes had problem remembering which of his identities were mainly him.

And if it was even that simple.

"If nothing else, we have a nice view." Artemis said some time later.

Nightwing brought a hand up to his ear, activating the small earpiece.

"Miss M," He spoke. "Link us up."

_Link established. _Came M'gann's voice suddenly in Morgan's head. She nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. She'd heard about the mental link the Team used on missions, but she'd never tried it herself. And a bit of a warning first would've been nice.

_Good._ Said Nightwing next.

"Holy shit-cakes, that. Is. Creepy!" Morgan exclaimed enthusiastically before she could stop herself. She heard M'gann laugh over the link. "And awesome. But I'm gonna have to get used to having all of you inside me."

After a few seconds of dead silence – in which she only heard a snort of amusement from Connor – Morgan realized her unfortunate phrasing, a flush creeping up her neck. "Inside my head. Obviously. Get y'all minds out of the gutter."

Before anyone had the chance to respond to that, Nightwing decided to bring the mission back on track. _Begin aerial sweep of the cape's perimeter. _He ordered Miss Martian and Super Boy.

_Hey boss, I'd be happy to join my Angelfish on that assignment._ Lagoon Boy volunteered.

Morgan really, _really_ needed to get used to this psychic link thing.

_Negative, Lagoon Boy. _Nightwing answered, sounding almost tired. He clearly had hoped to avoid all of this couple drama on his mission. _You're right where I need you giving me maximum coverage. In the water, on land, and in the air, in case there's any attempt at sabotage._

_Wait, so how does this link thing work?_ Morgan mentally asked, wondering if she was doing it right. _Do I get to decide _which_ of my thoughts out guys hear or is it just everything going through my head? _

_It's easier once you get used to it, but you _can_ sort out which thoughts you want us to hear. _M'gann helpfully explained.

_Got it_.

_Guys, focus._ Came Nightwing's annoyed voice.

_Whoops, sorry!_ Morgan responded.

Hearing Nightwing's voice inside her head was such a weird thing. She'd imagined it several times before, actually. Whenever she was fighting any criminals, she remembered all the advice he'd given her during training, repeating them in her head in his voice as she fought. It helped her to focus, in a strange way.

But that hadn't been like this at all. Right now it was the _actual_ Nightwing talking straight to her mind.

Silence fell, both on the link and between the three people on the platform.

Morgan kept her eyes glued to the ground below them, determined to do a good job. She'd already been acting pretty unprofessional so far, and she wanted, _needed_, more than ever to prove to her mentor that she totally got this.

"I know I'm not Wally's favorite person right now," Nightwing suddenly spoke up, leaving Morgan surprised that he'd be the first person to break the silence. "But it is nice to have you back."

"It's nice to be back." Artemis admitted, drawing out her bow from her quiver. "I didn't realize how much I'd been missing it." She folded the bow out properly and studied it briefly.

Morgan groaned lightly to herself and turned back around to continue looking out over the horizon, afraid she'd gotten herself caught in a private 'feelings' moment between her two more seasoned team mates.

"Which is pretty much exactly what Wally's afraid of." Artemis told Nightwing. "He's worried the rush that comes with the mask will get its hooks in and I won't give it up until my dying day."

"I know exactly what you mean." Nightwing responded so wistfully it made Morgan turn her head slightly to study her mentor.

He had been a hero for more than half of his life, Morgan realized. He was so deep in, he probably couldn't quite if he wanted.

Which, judging by the look on his face right now, he didn't.

Morgan couldn't decide if it was sad or not. It struck her that leading this sort of double life didn't really leave much time to actually have a normal life with a family and a day job.

In the beginning, that was what has drawn Morgan to the life, but now she wasn't so sure if she was as keen on the idea.

She'd been annoyed with Artemis and Wally acting like quitting the life had been the only right decision to make, but now she realized they might've been onto something.

Spending a few years with the Team sounded awesome, but Morgan truthfully wasn't sure if this was what she wanted to be doing for the rest of her life.

Either way, she was glad that she had the privilege to choose between the two lifestyles.

And it made her sad to realize that her mentor might not have the same freedom of choice anymore.

_Whoa. _Lagoon Boy's voice in her mind broke Morgan out of her train of thoughts._ Heads up minnows. We got bad guys. Black Manta's troopers working some kind of platform beneath the surface just offshore._ He explained.

Morgan felt her nerves return. So there _was_ going to be a fight.

_I'm taking them down!_ He said.

_Delay that. _Nightwing stopped him. _Lay low and wait for backup._

_I'll scrounge a re-breather from the cargo hold and help the rookie out._ Superboy's moody voice added.

_Rookie? Neptune's beard! I don't need any help from the boy of steel!_ Lagoon Boy raged.

_Lagoon Boy! Stand down!_ Nightwing ordered. Morgan turned to look at her mentor, seeing the displeased glare on his face.

_Sorry, you're breaking up._ Lagoon Boy replied, making a series of very obviously fake static sounds.

_There's no _static_ on a psychic link!_ Nightwing exasperated voice pointed out.

Morgan would have laughed at the indignation in his voice and Lagoon Boy's stupidity if the entire situation hadn't been so frustrating and potentially dangerous.

Nightwing had told her long ago that every mission had a hiccup. An unexpected turn of events.

Morgan supposed this was their hiccup.

Nightwing growled out loud in frustration and clenched his hand around the binocular.

"We've got company!" Artemis pointed at the sea side below them. Nightwing and Morgan walked up next to her, spotting the dozen black-clad soldiers emerging from the water.

She fired an arrow towards the wall built around the perimeter of the satellite launching site and, much as she'd done when she left the Bio ship, she used her bow to glide down towards the ground.

"I need you to stay up here." Nightwing turned towards Morgan. "As our look out."

Morgan wanted to tell him that was bullshit, they had Superboy as a look out already. But she knew it was an excuse to make sure she stayed out of direct contact with the enemy.

She wanted to protest. She really did.

But Nightwing already had _one_ rogue member on his team as it was. He didn't need two.

She squared her jaw and nodded, a severe look on her face.

He smiled gratefully and placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, maintaining eye contact for a few seconds before he slid down the wire himself.

_Superboy_, y_ou have that re-breather?_ Nightwing asked.

_Negative_. La'gaan _didn't restock_. Superboy accused.

_Then take the helm._ Nightwing immediately responded. _Miss Martian, gill up and help Lagoon Boy._ _Superboy, we need cover fire down here._

Morgan was amazed at how well and how quickly he took control of the situation, somehow managing to balance all of the different things that were going on. He made it seem almost effortless.

_Acknowledged._ Miss Martian responded. _Bio-ship reconfigured for manual flight._

She kept her perch on the platform, keeping an anxious eye on her mentor and the archer below. The bio ship swooped down and released a volley of stunning shots, a few of the bad guys falling down, the rest scattering as they attempted to escape the line of fire.

_That's our cue! _Artemis yelled, and Morgan could see her small figure make to jump over the steel wall when Nightwing pulled her back down, saving her from getting hit by the enemy's guns.

The two heroes crouched down by the wall and Morgan heard Nightwing's reprimand in her mind.

_I know you're rusty, but are you TRYING to get yourself killed? _

She wished she got to be down there and help instead of sitting up here, listening to the others fight.

Half a mile out in the sea, Morgan suddenly spotted a ball of fiery light erupt from the surface and soar into the sky. Grabbing her binoculars, Morgan confirmed that a missile had, in fact, just been released from beneath the surface.

_There's a missile coming our way, guys_. She informed them. She could see Nightwing and Artemis were a bit preoccupied with hiding behind the wall to avoid getting shot at, but she thought the missile was kind of important to mention too.

_Superboy!_ Nightwing commanded over the link.

That was all the other boy needed. _On it_. He reassured their leader as he turned the bio ship around and headed after the missile.

_We're on the wrong side of this wall_. Artemis worriedly pointed out.

Morgan wholeheartedly agreed. Sure, right now the wall was saving them from being shot by the enemy, but in a few moments, that very wall was supposed to stop the fire from the satellite launch from frying any unfortunate bystanders. Meaning Artemis and Nightwing would be nothing more than two spandex-clad crisps if they didn't get away.

The missile was dealt with in a large explosion as Superboy fired at it.

_Sparrow, get down from the tower. It's no longer safe up there if they keep firing missiles. _Nightwing ordered.

_Going._ She quickly agreed and climbed over the railing, jumping off of the building. Spreading her wings, Morgan glided down and landedin a crouch beside her mentor a few seconds later. _What's up?_

Behind, a warning alarm blared to life as the launch of the missile was initiated.

Morgan realized she might've chosen a bad place to touch ground.

_We are _really_ on the wrong side of this wall! _Artemis repeated.

Behind the wall, Morgan could hear a large explosion and she figured Superboy had taken down another missile. They were running out of time. By now, they choices were between getting shot or getting burned to death. Neither option sounded particularly attractive, if you asked her. Morgan felt fear and urgency clench at her insides.

_The troopers' helmets! _Artemis suddenly realized, pulling out a specific arrow from her quiver. _Designed to enhance vision under water, right?_

She fired the arrow into the sky and Morgan squinted as it erupted into a blinding beam of white light.

The soldiers all let out startled shouts as they found themselves momentarily blinded.

Nightwing grabbed hold of Morgan's shoulder and pulled her up with him and Artemis. _Move!_

She beat her wings to gain enough momentum to launch herself over the wall, stirring the sand underneath her. Artemis and Nightwing jumped over the wall and immediately ran at the bad guys. Morgan hovered in the air, preferring to do her job from up there. Gaining mental control of one of the troupers, she threw him into the one next to him, sending the both of them sprawling in the sand.

She aimed her mental focus on the other guy and pulled him up into the air in a harsh tug, watching as he crashed down into the first guy, neither of them getting up again.

Several new missiles erupted from the water rapidly after each other. Superboy chased after two of them, but he couldn't focus on all of the missiles at once and one of them headed straight for the satellite.

_Sparrow!_ Nightwing spoke up over the link. _Take out that missile!_

Easier said than done. She wasn't even sure if she _could_ take it out.

But Nightwing had given her an order. And he'd placed his trust in her capabilities. So she would do her best.

Morgan squared her shoulders and focused on the missile, waiting for it to get close enough.

Once it did, she held out both arms, spreading her fingers wide, and threw them to the left, hoping it worked. She'd never tried to use her powers on something that big or something with that much speed.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when the missile went off course and crashed onto the beach a few hundred feet to their left.

_Good job_. Nightwing complimented. _Stay on the lookout for more of them. _

_Got it_.

Morgan watched as, below her, her two team mates fought rapidly against the small army of troupers.

She was about to shout a warning when a guy behind Artemis pulled a knife, but neither she nor Nightwing got to do so before the archer noticed the soldier and unarmed him, knocking him out with a kick to the head.

_What_? She said when Nightwing paused. _I'm not _that_ rusty! _

During their little exchange, a new figure had emerged from the water.

Morgan squinted her eyes to try and locate the vaguely familiar face. The dark skin, silvery eyes and white hair sent a bell ringing and she dug into her newly acquired knowledge of the Team's earlier dealings.

Her eyes widened when she realized their mission had just gotten _so_ much more complicated.

It was Aqualad. Or Kaldur'ahm, as his real name was.

Former member of the Team. Now a ruthless killer on the bad guys' side.

Nightwing and Artemis had noticed him too, both standing in shocked silence as they watched him approach.

_They've taken Lagaan!_ Miss Martian's distressed voice broke through the link. _I'm going after him_!

_Our priority is the missiles_. Superboy argued. _There are too many. I'm not keeping up!_

Morgan remembered her task – she'd gotten distracted when she'd seen Kaldur'ahm arrive – and focused on an approaching missile, throwing it back out over the water where it proceeded to explode on the surface.

Morgan was once again distracted when below her, their enemy had manipulated a giant, crystal blue wave of water. Morgan recalled reading about the Atlanteans learning to manipulate water to do their bidding. It was.. magic, in a sense.

The bright blue wave formed its head into that of a snake and crashed down on her two companions. Worry gripped at her insides and Morgan made to land, watching as they were forced against the grey wall behind them by the wave.

A deep rumble shook the ground as a bright orange light appeared behind her. Morgan turned just as she landed beside her team mates, spotting the satellite launching into the air, leaving behind a trail of orange fire and smoke.

"The mission may yet succeed." She heard Kaldur'ahm utter behind her and Morgan turned, watching as a small compartment in his armor opened up and released a smaller missile, aiming straight for the airborne satellite.

"Take it out!" Nightwing shouted, and Morgan noticed only then that the psychic link was down.

She didn't have time to worry about what had happened to M'gann, she needed to take out the missile.

She attempted, anyway, but the thing was too small and too fast for her to get a proper mental lock on it. And she'd also severely tapped into her mental reserves by redirecting those missiles.

"I can't!" She cried out, crestfallen. "I can't get a mental hold!"

Artemis, fast as lightning, pulled out an arrow and fired it at the soaring projectile.

Morgan sighed with relief when the arrow found its mark and the missile exploded, leaving the flying satellite intact and still fully functional.

"No rust on me." She quipped proudly at her fine hit.

"Artemis, behind you!" Nightwing shouted, bringing the two girls' attention back to the threat at hand.

He ran straight for his former team mate as two of the troupers engaged Morgan.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nightwing get blasted away, flying several meters through the air and landing harshly on the sand dunes, and she flinched at the pained groan that left his lips.

Deciding to make quick work of the two troupers, she pushed one away with the telekinesis, sending him skidding along the sand and into the water. The other she kicked square in his stomach before grapping his arm and twisting it behind his back, harshly enough for a bone to snap in it. He let out a howl of pain and she sent him into the water to join the other guy.

She finished just in time to turn and see Kaldur'ahm stab the water knife into Artemis' abdomen.

Morgan completely froze, mouth and eyes widely opened in shock as the man uttered a few harsh words at his former friend before pulling the knife back out of her body, letting her stumble backwards, gasping in shock and pain.

"ARTEMIS!" Nightwing's panicked shout grated on Morgan's ears as the black-clad man ran for his wounded friend.

"I got you." He reassured her as he ran up behind the stumbling girl and caught her. "Hang on."

There was blood. Blood trickling down the archer's bare stomach as the girl let out a few choking sounds before losing consciousness.

Morgan shook herself out of her shock and approached the scene, forcing her mind to stay clear and alert. They weren't out of danger yet. And she needed to protect the others while Nightwing tended to Artemis.

Because she was going to be okay, right?

Right?

Artemis was just here as a one-time favor. She wasn't going to die, surely not.

It just wouldn't be right.

"Move out!" Kaldur'ahm abruptly ordered his men, apparently finished with watching his former friend bleed to death. "The mission is a failure."

_At least_, Morgan weakly thought, _we have that. The satellite launch was a success_..

As she watched Nightwing perform CPR on Artemis, she couldn't help but wonder at what cost.

Above them, the satellite suddenly exploded and, if possible, Morgan's heart sank even deeper into her stomach.

"We're done here." The Atlantean said with satisfaction. They had succeeded after all.

Indescribable rage filled her as she watched the three men disappear under water, too late for her to do anything about it.

She wanted to scream out in frustration and anger and fear.

But instead she slowly approached the two figured in the sand, watching, slowly turning numb, as Nightwing counted to thirty as he thrust his hands up and down on her chest before bending over and blowing air into Artemis' mouth. Morgan sunk to her knees on the other side of Artemis.

Nothing happened. He resumed the cardiac massage, counting again.

Morgan wasn't sure when Superboy and Miss Martian had arrived, but suddenly the two of them were standing behind Nightwing.

All she heard was Superboy's worried, "I.. I don't hear her heartbeat."

"Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty." Nightwing desperately kept counting, his voice breaking with every word. He blew three breaths of air into her mouth before giving up.

"She's dead." He said, resignation and mourning in his voice.

The shock of the situation made Morgan go slightly numb, delaying her natural reaction. The girl in front of her was dead.

Artemis was dead.

And it felt like Morgan couldn't even comprehend it.

She knew what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to cry like M'gann was. Or let out an angry howl like Connor did. Or slump over in the sand like Nightwing did.

But she just sat there. Staring at the dead girl in front of her. Her mind completely unwilling to comprehend what was going on.

When her mentor let out an unsteady sigh, Morgan snapped somewhat back to attention. She felt tears well in her eyes. It was unfair. She hadn't known Artemis for that long, but she had liked the girl nonetheless.

She didn't deserve to die.

Morgan hesitantly reached a hand forward and placed it on Nightwing's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him somehow. _She_ hadn't known Artemis for very long, but the others had. They'd fought alongside the girl for years. She represented a huge part of their lives.

And now she was dead.

Nightwing didn't acknowledge the hand on his shoulder for a long while – safe for the slight tensing he'd done when she touched him – but eventually he reached his own hand up to cover hers, taking in another shaky breath.

At the touch, Morgan's own barrier finally broke and the numbness left her system, letting her feel every emotion twice as forcefully as normal.

Her eyes welled up and silent tears started sliding down her cheeks.

The superhero life was great and exciting, Morgan decided.

But if it came with heart ache like this too often, she wasn't sure she thought it was worth it.

In the end, she'd been wrong. La'gaan going rogue had not been the mission's hiccup.

This was.

* * *

><p>I was so shocked when I watched this episode for the first time. And then I was so relieved when I found out Artemis wasn't really dead. But still, that episode was evil.<p>

I'm going to Copenhagen to watch the Nutcracker ballet this weekend! I've never seen a ballet before so I'm pretty excited.

So, how'd ya like it? Did it suck? Was it unbelievable? Was it great? Were you bored? Are you excited to see how Morgan will deal with Artemis' death next chapter?

Fun fact: Morgan totally lied when she said she wasnt' good at knitting and only made scarves. She'd pretty darn good and has knittede several sweaters for both her and her mom.


	27. Mourning

Chapter Twenty Seven

Mourning

Morgan didn't even notice that Lagoon Boy was missing until they were already halfway home.

She'd been staring out the window, much like on their way to the launching site, only this time she wasn't excited and nervous. She was scared and angry and sad.

Morgan had done her uttermost best to avoid looking at the limp, green-clad figure lying on a raised dais in the middle of the ship. Leaving the body on the floor had seemed too harsh, so M'gann had made the ship form a simple dais for her dead friend.

"Where's La'gaan?" Morgan hoarsely whispered into the empty silence of the ship. The only continuous sound in the ship since they'd taken flight was M'gann's sobbing.

At the mention of her vanished boyfriend, the Martian only sobbed harder. Morgan's face drew into an apologetic and miserable look as she realized she'd probably rubbed salt in an open flesh wound.

In front of her, she could see Superboy tense and Morgan knew she wasn't likely to get an answer from him either.

She looked back at her mentor, who sat silently at the helm. M'gann had been too distraught to fly the Bio ship. The ship, apparently able to feel its master's distress, had simply refused to move from its spot and Nightwing had had to take over.

He met her eyes briefly before looking down at the floor, perhaps in mourning, perhaps in shame. Out of the three of her companions, he was the one who seemed to be holding up best. She realized that, as their leader, he probably _had _to.

"He was taken by Black Manta's men." He eventually answered.

Morgan felt a fresh wave of tears well up in her eyes at their absolutely disastrous mission and she leaned her elbows onto the table in front of her, her head resting in her palms. Her hair fell around her features, hiding her tears and gritted teeth from view.

Morgan was almost certain that she'd never felt this miserable before. She'd been devastated when she'd run away from home. She'd been deeply affected when her father had told her that he was the reason for her wings.

But those two scenarios seemed to pale in comparison to the overwhelming sorrow she felt right now.

Brief acquaintance or not, Artemis had been a team mate. And maybe even a friend.

And Lagoon Boy, for all his anger management issues and weird ways, was her friend. And he was gone too. Maybe already dead as well.

Morgan forced herself to not think like that. If not for herself, then at least for M'gann. M'gann hadn't just lost one of her best friends tonight, she'd also lost her boyfriend.

Morgan had to believe that Lagoon Boy would come back to them somehow.

* * *

><p>Once they arrived back at Mount Justice, everybody from the Team was already there. Morgan figured Nightwing had sent a message out to all of them before leaving.<p>

Everyone gathered in the combined living room and kitchen and mourned together. Mourned as a team.

Morgan didn't want to. She didn't like to deal with sadness in front of others. It was the same reason she couldn't go back to the Cave after her talk with her dad.

She didn't do 'social' mourning, or whatever this was. She dealt with those kinds of things on her own.

Out of respect, she stayed with the others for half an hour before she quietly slipped away. It wasn't like anyone was paying attention to her. Her absence wouldn't be noticed.

After hearing Mal, in an angry and slightly accusing voice, ask Superboy where Nightwing was, and Connor explaining that their missing leader had gone to tell Wally that his girlfriend was dead, Morgan had left her anonymous place next to the door and slipped unnoticed from the room.

She got outside quietly through the small private hatch Nightwing had showed her those months ago. Standing for a long moment to watch the peaceful waves gently wash over the wet sand beneath her boot-clad feet, she started to feel like her emotions were manifesting into a physical ball in her chest. The ball grew in size with every passing moment until Morgan thought she was going to literally choke or possibly explode from it.

Clenching her fists, she left the water and marched towards the wood-covered mountain side.

Another reason Morgan had needed to leave the others as soon as possible was because she knew her own mourning circle by now. She channeled mourning through violence. She always had. After her father had left them back when she was ten, she'd been so sad, which had channeled into anger, that she'd beaten up one of her classmates with barely any provocation. She'd almost gotten expelled after that.

And now she had left the Cave because she had had to physically restrain herself from punching Mal at his accusing tone when asking about Nightwing.

She'd known that, if she didn't leave now, she could quite possibly break the kitchen on accident.

Releasing a bone-chilling scream of fury, she swiped her hands out and leveled the three closest trees to the ground.

Morgan wished she had the same level of restrain as many of the others did. Superboy was usually an angry person, but even he had just standing against the wall with a tense expression on his face.

Apparently, Morgan was the only one who had problems with dealing with her emotions.

When using her mental powers on the three trees hadn't been enough, Morgan ran forward and punched the closest one, splintering the wood when she naturally tapped into her telekinetic powers to aid her hit.

It didn't last for long though. She'd already used her mental powers far too much tonight and her reserves were all but spent.

She still kept hitting the rough bark of the tree even when her telekinesis no longer aided her and her knuckles were bloody and torn.

Her anger now properly channeled, she flew away, locating a specific tree on the slope in no time.

It was taller than most of the other trees there, old and strong.

It was the same tree she'd sat in when she and Nightwing had eaten pizza. She still wasn't sure what that had even been about, but she didn't think on it now. Now, she just needed a familiar spot that held good memories. Somewhere peaceful and private.

Finding the very same branch that she'd sat on the first time, she landed on it and stayed there.

Her clenched right hand throbbed painfully in protest but she ignored it, refusing to tend to her self-inflicted injuries.

After half an hour, the pain had not subsided and Morgan relented and looked at her bloody hand, inspecting the knuckles.

Pulling small pieces of bark and dirt out of the tender wounds, she sighed and dug into one of the compartments of her belt, pulling out a roll of white gauze. Attempting to sloppily bandage the wound herself, she nearly fell off the branch when another voice suddenly made itself present.

"Let me." The male said and Morgan looked down to find Superboy hoisting himself onto Nightwing branch – not that it was Nightwing's branch, it was just the branch he'd sat on when they had hung out in the tree and Morgan had taken to calling it that – and grabbing hold of the white fabric, undoing the sloppy work Morgan had done.

She was confused to find him here, wanted to ask him why he'd found her, but she didn't say anything as he focused on binding her small wounds.

"How did that happen?" He asked, fixing his serious blue eyes on her.

Morgan shrugged and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, staring out over the ocean. "I punched a tree.. Twenty times."

Connor nodded and trained his own eyes towards the horizon. "This was your second mission, right?"

Morgan wasn't sure why it mattered, but she confirmed it anyway. "Yeah. First was the one with the Kroloteans' underground lair."

"I'm sorry it went the way it did." He told her. "You shouldn't have had to experience this kind of thing so early on."

Morgan wondered why he was worrying about _her_ when many of the others were faring so much worse than she did. She hadn't even known Artemis that well. Surely his sympathy was needed more somewhere else.

Maybe he'd left the Cave to deal with his sorrow on his own too and had just happened to stumble upon her.

"I never should've been allowed on this mission." She admitted, anger seeping into her tone even as she tried to keep it out. "I know I've been eager to go on missions for a long time, but I'm starting to think I'm not actually ready yet. At all."

"I disagree." Superboy surprised her by saying. "You're ready to go on missions, in my opinion. Don't let today's mission convince you otherwise. Nobody will ever be ready for a mission where they lose a team mate."

"Nobody should have to experience that." Morgan agreed.

There was silence for a small moment before Morgan felt the need to fill it.

"I'm sorry for your loss." She mumbled, drawing her legs up towards her upper body. "I didn't know Artemis as well as you did, but she seemed like a good person."

"One of the best." Connor quietly agreed.

At that point, the touchy-feely crap was apparently become a bit too much for her usually stoic team mate – Morgan could understand him, she was starting to get uncomfortable too – and he excused himself.

Connor was halfway down the tree again when Morgan forced herself to speak up. "Connor?" She called out.

There was a pause in which she could hear his movements still.

"Thanks." Was all she said, not waiting for him to answer first.

There was a long silence before she heard the boy resume his downwards climb.

"You're welcome." He answered once he'd started climbing again.

The dark haired boy was gone a moment later and Morgan sat immobile on her perch, all alone again.

When the moon was starting to wane and the eastern sky slowly turned pink and orange, Morgan, entire body cold and stiff, got down from the tree and flew into the Cave. She collapsed on her bed and allowed sweet, blissful sleep to take over, grateful for a few hours of numbness.

* * *

><p>March 21st<p>

She'd been dreaming about it.

Dreaming about that dark face with the glowing blue knife, stabbing into all of her team mates. First it was Artemis. Then Robin. Then M'gann. She'd even been on the receiving end of the knife herself a few times.

And she'd been absolutely powerless to stop it every single time. There were different versions, all with the same outcome. Sometimes she'd be too far away to reach them. Or she'd be injured and unable to move herself.

But the two most disturbing ones were the ones that made her wake up, gasping with tears leaking down her eyes.

In those dreams, Morgan would run towards the other person, about to pull them out of the way.

And then suddenly Nightwing would grab her from behind and stop her in her tracks. He would tell her to stay back and that it was 'part of the plan'.

And then her team mate would die. Because Nightwing had wanted them to.

And then, even worse, sometimes Nightwing himself had been the one to die. During those times, instead of holding her back, he'd look at her and tell her to stay away. That it was supposed to happen.

She wasn't sure which one of the two dreams made her feel worse. Nightwing dying was probably one of her worst nightmare, but Nightwing letting somebody else die when he could've stopped it? That also made her feel extremely terrible.

Morgan woke several times during the night, drenched in sweat, and finally, before the sun had even risen, she got up and took a long, cold shower.

After only having gotten three hours of sleep the night before, she'd hoped to catch up to some of it tonight, but her luck seemed against her.

At least she didn't have any classes today. She looked like death and she didn't need Rachel and Esmeralda to bug her about it.

Slowly dragging her tired body out of her room, clad in a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she left the Cave entirely and went for a long jog along the beach next to it.

Her muscles protested as she ran, but she ignored them.

She'd spared with Nightwing yesterday. And it had been weird.

Neither had said a word to each other during the entire session. Nightwing usually wasn't the most talkative type when they trained, but he at least found the time to shout out helpful advice while they fought and then explained to her what she'd done wrong when she failed.

But this time..

Nothing.

Not a word.

And Morgan hadn't attempted at conversation either because – and she was ashamed to admit it – part of her blamed him for Artemis' death. She knew how incredibly unfair it was. Knew that Artemis had chosen to go on that mission herself. Artemis had known the risks.

And yet..

And yet, Artemis wouldn't have been there if Nightwing hadn't asked her to join the mission.

So Nightwing was quieter than usual, but other than that, he was already seemingly back to normal. Arrived early at the Cave, dealt out missions and orders, trained Morgan..

She wondered if that was his way of dealing with sorrow. Pretend it wasn't there. Push it under the rug until the ache dulled so much he forgot about it.

She mused about how often he would've been sad about something these past few months and she hadn't even noticed it because he was _that_ good at hiding his emotions.

By the time Morgan arrived back at the Cave, sweaty, out of breath and utterly exhausted, some of the others were up and about.

Even though she didn't have much of an appetite, Morgan forced herself to eat a bowl of cereal and drink an entire bottle of water.

When she was done, she walked back to her room and collapsed in her bed, hoping that the run had, by some miracle, tired her out enough for her to sleep without the nightmares.

She slept for another two hours. But it was an uneasy, restless sleep that didn't make her feel much better, but rather like her brain had been swapped with cotton and her limbs were heavy yet numb at the same time.

Perhaps she felt this way because she'd been averaging on three hours of sleep a night since the mission.

Morgan forced herself to get up and she dragged herself into her shower for the second time that day, the cold water the only way to wake her up, short of injecting caffeine straight into her blood stream.

She'd never gone with so little sleep for an extended period of time before. She found the mirror in her bathroom and studied her face. The pounding headache she'd sported all of yesterday had returned today, bringing with it charming purple bruises under her eyes which stood out all the more because her skin had turned into a sickly pale color. The veins in her eyes were larger and redder than normal because of her lack of sleep too.

Overall, Morgan was quite possibly the least attractive person she'd ever seen right now and no amount of makeup would salvage the damage.

Standing under the showerhead, she focused all of her attention on the cold water streaming into her hair and down her body, finding that the task somehow managed to distract her from the otherwise constant picture of Artemis getting stabbed that seemed to play on a loop in her mind.

She wasn't even sure why the death of the other girl hit her this hard. Many of the people that knew her far better than Morgan were already getting back on track. As far as she could see, she was the only person in the Cave that was still having problems holding herself together.

Maybe it was because they'd experienced death before and had learned that the best way to deal with it was to plow on and move forward.

Maybe Morgan was just extra sensitive about those kinds of things.

Maybe it was because, as Morgan had told Nightwing months ago, the heroes of this world were made of a different cloth than the rest of humanity. A stronger, more adaptable cloth. A better cloth.

And maybe Morgan, as she'd also told Nightwing months ago, just wasn't made of that same cloth. Maybe she wasn't hero material. Maybe she'd never be.

She forced herself to stop thinking about it as she got out of the shower and dried herself off before slipping into a pair of jeans and a large hoodie.

It wasn't until she'd finished dressing that she realized it was the exact same articles of clothing she'd worn when she had first arrived at the Cave. Morgan could appreciate the bitter irony in this.

It was like her subconscious _wanted_ her to leave.

Two hours later, knowing that hiding away in her room wouldn't make her feel any better, Morgan slipped out and walked aimlessly around the Cave, partly hoping to find some of the others, partly hoping she wouldn't.

The part that hoped she wouldn't was severely disappointed when she happened upon Bumblebee and Batgirl.

"Hey Morgan." Karen greeted the blonde.

"Hi guys." Morgan responded, inwardly winching at how utterly exhausted she sounded. "Where are you going?" She asked when she could see the two girls had been heading out in civilian clothing before she chanced upon them.

"Rocket's bridal shower." Barbara explained, slinging her sports bag over her shoulder. "We've been planning it for some time, since before.. " She trailed off.

"Anyway, we didn't want to cancel it in spite of resent events." Bumblebee took over when Batgirl stopped.

"Oh." Morgan simply responded, her tone slightly dead. She could understand their need to go out and celebrate, especially after the last few days.

The two women exchanged a look.

"Do you want to come?" Barbara suddenly offered after a short pause. "I'm sure Raquel wouldn't mind. We all need a day off."

Morgan froze for a moment, her mind reeling as she frantically searched for an excuse to get out of the invitation. The very last thing she wanted was to have them haul her melancholy ass to the party and then totally ruin the mood by sitting like a silent, sad mood-ruiner in a dark corner.

"I would," She slowly began, burying her hands in the pockets of her hoodie as she stared at the floor. "But I've only ever met Rocket, like, once, so.." She shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on their shoe-clad feet instead of their faces. "Sorry." She finished, swallowing thickly as she forced herself to look up.

She couldn't help but think that the only reason they invited her was because there was an extra seat at their table now, one that had been meant for another blonde.

"Hey, it's okay." Batgirl said gently, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. "We'll do something tomorrow, okay? Go into town and get an ice cream or something."

Morgan absolutely hated feeling like a burden. She hated that Barbara apparently felt like it was her responsibility to cheer her up. "You don't have to. I'm fine."

Karen rolled her eyes. "We know we don't _have _to girl, we're offering because we _want_ to."

Morgan found herself absolutely stumped, like the thought of the other girls actually _wanting_ to spend time with her wasn't even possible.

"Oh." Was all she could think to answer.

Barbara smiled softly at her. "We'll see you later, Morgan."

She nodded, wetting her bottom lip in thought. "I'll see you."

Watching at the two girls left, Morgan found herself wondering just how messed up she really was. She'd been at the Cave for months now and still sometimes found herself feeling like a total stranger to the others.

She was acting like the others considering her an actual friend was a totally foreign thing, an impossibility, when the truth was they probably didn't even doubt whether they considered her their friend or not. Morgan actually felt guilty when she realized that she'd taken their friendship for granted by assuming it didn't actually exist.

Vowing to stop treating herself like a victim and start acting like a true friend, Morgan stopped staring down the empty hall and resumed her previous wandering.

As it had happened so many times before, Morgan heard Mal's voice carrying down the hall before she actually saw him.

"Aquaman has all of Atlantis on the case." She heard him say as she rounded a corner, the main room coming into view. Mal and Connor stood together in front of a holographic screen with Nightwing standing a little ways off, listening in but not quite joining the conversation. He seemed to want to keep his distance.

Morgan silently wondered if she wasn't the only member of the Team that kind of blamed him for Artemis' death. Judging by the tone Mal had used two nights prior when asking about his whereabouts, the way he'd said that Nightwing 'should be here' during their mourning, Morgan thought that the gentle giant at least partly blamed Nightwing too.

"He says they're, and I quote, 'searching the seven seas of Lagoon boy and his captors.'" Mal supplied.

The fact that the team supervisor appear to hold ill-will towards Nightwing as well only served to make Morgan fell even worse about it. Nightwing was her mentor, she was supposed to stand up for him.

"We'll find La'gaan." Connor reassured Mal, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"And _Aqualad_." Mal seethed. "I want his fishhead on a _platter_ after what he did to Artemis!"

Morgan had rarely seen Mal upset. To see him this angry and vengeful was scary, despite that fact that he was the most harmless person in the Cave at any given time. Morgan _had_ wondered what the perfectly normal teenager was doing with a bunch of superpowered weirdo's in the beginning, but she'd quickly learned that his role as squad supervisor on missions was just as important as the work the squads did. Him and Nightwing kept the Team together.

She hoped the two of them hadn't damaged that work relationship and that Morgan had been mistaken when she suspected him of blaming Nightwing for Artemis' death.

After Mal's words, Morgan saw a strange look come over Nightwing features. He looked to the floor and glared to himself, like what Mal had said angered him.

Or maybe because he was angry with himself.

It puzzled her, but she decided to let it be as she slowly crossed the room, intending to get away from the tense group of three.

Connor sighed harshly. "I don't suppose we're any close to identifying the Light's new partner, either?" He directed his question at the silent Nightwing, but as he turned, he found the teenager gone.

Morgan hadn't even seen him leave. It was a Batman thing, she supposed.

"Nightwing?" He questioned, annoyance creeping into his tone. "Where _is_ everyone?!"

"The girls are all heading out." Mal explained.

_Well, all except me, that is._ Morgan thought to herself. She guessed Connor had reached the same conclusion when they briefly made eye contact.

"The rest.. They're down in the grotto."

The grotto.

She should've known the others would be down there. The statue of Artemis had been put up today and many had wanted to go and pay their respects.

Morgan had intentionally avoided the place but now she felt the need to go down there.

She'd been on the mission where things had happened. Going down there to at least, in some way, acknowledge Artemis' sacrifice, seemed like the right thing to do.

Secretly, Morgan was also hoping that it would offer her some peace of mind.

Slipping down the hall, she headed for the lowest level of the Cave.

She walked slowly down the steel staircase, wrapping her arms around her body when the temperature seemed to drop several degrees with each step. Morgan's ears twitched as she picked up the conversation going on between Bart and Jaime.

"So why is this here?" The speedster asked. "I mean, it's pretty and all, but these people were heroes, died in the line of duty. They should have, like, big awe-inspiring memorials in the Hall of Justice, or something."

Taken a few steps further down, she could finally see the two heroes talking.

"I asked that too.." Jaime admitted. "Captain Atom says the Leagues neither wants or needs a public shrine to fallen members. But it sounds to me like they just doesn't want to advertise that they aren't immortal."

Morgan had to admit she agreed with Blue Beetle. And she thought it as a stupid excuse from the League. The heroes that died deserved to be recognized. Not hidden away in a freezing Grotto underneath a mountain.

"The few people who have seen me in action thinks I'm just this guy in a new costume." Jaime motioned for the statue of the former Blue Beetle. "They'll never know the sacrifice he made."

Impulse, in a moment of clarity, seemed to want to comfort his team mate. "But _you_ know, right?" He pointed out. "And you get to carry on the Blue Beetle tradition."

That had apparently not been the right thing to say, as Jaime just scowled at the ground. "I wish! It sucks!"

He sighed and stared at the statue of his predecessor. Morgan had reached the bottom of the stair case by now and was slowly making her way across the small room, towards the new addition to the memorials.

Three statues had become four.

"Superboy has Superman. Wondergirl has Wonderwoman. Robin has Batman, Batgirl _and_ Nightwing! You've been in this year for, what, _five minutes_ and you already have _three_ Flash mentors, one who feeds you junkfood!" Jaime complained, poking Bart in the chest accusingly. Bart hid the bag of snacks behind his back.

"But me?" He looked sadly at the statue in front of them and motioned for it. "I never even got to _meet_ the guy who should've been my mentor."

"Well," Morgan spoke up as she passed by, unable to keep her mouth shut. "At least you have a guy with similar powers who could've been your mentor." She clapped her hand briefly on his shoulder and joined Robin and Beast Boy in looking at the statue of Artemis. It was an unfair and stupid comment to make, but Morgan couldn't bring herself to care.

Jaime didn't respond. She hadn't expected him to. But she could feel his eyes bore into her back as she passed him.

"Heh, I hear ya. We have more in common than you might think." Impulse told Jaime. "Our love for this particular snack for example." He held up the red bag of chips and Morgan was starting to wonder what the story behind that bag even was. "Let me buy you a new bag. We can hang out, it'll be totally crash!"

Morgan turned her attention away from the two boys as they headed for the exit, Jaime sighing before letting out a hesitant "I guess," allowing Impulse to guide him away.

Finally forcing herself to look up at the green-clad memorial, she felt the lump in her throat grow bigger.

She swallowed the lump and looked away immediately.

Then she steeled her nerves and looked at it again. Forced herself to keep her eyes trained on the memorial.

Her hands shook unexpectedly and she clenched them together, stuffing them into the front pocket of her hoodie.

Morgan sighed. "Screw this." She said out loud.

Tim looked over at her. "What?"

"Nothing." She quickly responded. She'd almost forgotten she wasn't actually alone. "I just.. don't understand why I thought seeing the memorial as going to make me feel any better."

The dark haired boy never got the chance to respond to her statement because as soon as she'd said it, Morgan turned on her heel and walked out of the grotto.

* * *

><p>March 22nd<p>

The sky above had been clear half an hour ago, but now rain clouds were rolling in, faster than Nightwing would've liked. The wind whipping his hair around, his position on top of a five story building only reinforcing it.

If a storm was coming, he was going to head home, patrol or not.

He didn't even have time for this stupid patrol anyway. He should be working on Team stuff. Or visiting Alfred, whom he hadn't seen for a month now. Or looking into Morgan's father's history.

But he'd needed to get away for a few hours, to think. And he thought best when he was on patrol.

Nightwing hadn't had such a row of lousy days since Jason had died.

And this was a much different lousy.

Jason's death had made Nightwing feel horrible for weeks, he'd mourned and cried and beaten up so many bad guys so harshly that he'd sent several of them to the hospital in his anger.

But he'd never felt responsible. He'd known that Jason's death wasn't his fault, he hadn't been involved in that incident at all.

But this time..

This time, even though nobody had actually died, the absolutely crushing weight of the guilt he felt almost brought him to his knees. He kept reminding himself that he was doing this for the greater good. Artemis was alive and undercover, helping him and Kaldur bring an evil organization to its knees.

But that didn't help much whenever he saw a member of his team stare off in the distance with tears in their eyes, whenever somebody went down to the Grotto to look at her memorial.

Whenever somebody aimed a thinly-veiled accusing look at him.

To be fair, very few members of the Team had actually done that. Only a few of them actually blamed him for her death.

The first day, Mal had barely spoken a word to him. But the big guy had come around. Mal was a smart guy. He knew trying to put blame on anyone wouldn't bring Artemis back, wouldn't solve anything.

Rain slowly started drizzling down, soaking through his hair, leaving it plastered to his forehead. Nightwing fired his grapple gun and propelled off the building, not caring to stay out in the rain. It wasn't like he was actually patrolling much. He was mainly brooding on top of large buildings.

No, Mal had dropped the issue pretty quickly.

Morgan was another story entirely.

Three days had passed since Artemis' staged death.

Three days, and Morgan hadn't uttered a word to him.

He could tell she blamed him for Artemis' death, but he could also tell she hated that she did. She felt guilty for blaming him.

Nightwing was pretty sure he could train her for a decade and still not understand how that girl's mind worked.

What nobody in the Cave actually knew was that Artemis' 'death' was _entirely_ his fault. After all, Kaldur, Artemis and Nightwing had staged the whole thing since the beginning.

And, Nightwing already dreaded it, the moment the news got out, the moment the rest of the Team found out that Artemis' death hadn't been real, that he'd been operating behind their backs and let them believe one of their friends had been killed..

Some of them may never forgive him. Some of them might never get over the betrayal. The lies.

_Being a leader means having to make hard choices for the greater good, _Nightwing reminded himself.

He knew that. But it didn't make him feel any less guilty about lying to all the people he trusted and worked with. All of his friends.

Nightwing landed on his own window sill and pushed the window open, nimbly jumping into his room.

Quickly shutting the window behind him and walking into the bathroom, he stepped into the shower before stripping, avoiding too much water on his floor.

He was the team leader. Which meant he had to be prepared to make the decisions the other didn't have the courage to.

Batman had taught him long ago that a good leader wasn't necessarily a popular leader. A good superhero wasn't necessarily a popular superhero. No, it was someone who had the guts to do what was necessary without worrying about his own image. Bruce had long ago stopped caring what people thought of Batman. All he cared about was getting the job done.

Dick remembered telling Black Canary a long time ago that he didn't have that drive to sacrifice everything that Batman had.

And yet – the thought chilled him – wasn't that exactly what he was currently doing?

* * *

><p>So not a lot happened in this chapter, but I felt like Morgan experiencing - seeing - that death needed its own space to be properly adressed. And then a bit of Nightwing POV at the end to elt you all know how he's feeling about all of this.<p>

But I promise that the next chapter will be explosive! (Was that a pun? Yes. Yes, that was a pun.)

So after seeing the nutcracker ballet, I can confirm that I'm much more of a musical gal. I think it's because I'm not interested in/know anything about dance and ballet at all, but due to being a singer myself, I can recognize and enjoy the different technique and stuff in musicals, and then try them out at home myself, ect.

Fun Fact: I'm working on a sequel to this story. Not writing it yet, just.. developing the idea in my mind. I usually dont' write sequels, but this one was too good to pass up. I have so many ideas! Since the sequel will expand the universe quiet a bit, I'll listen to suggestions if any of you have some characters from the Batman Universe that you'd like to see in it! (Damian is already going to be included, so no need to ask for him)


	28. Mount Justice Falls

Chapter Twenty Eight

Mount Justice Falls

March 23rd

Morgan really needed to talk to Nightwing. She'd tried to find him the night before, but he'd left before she had a chance to talk to him.

Her guilt was eating at her insides.

She knew that he knew that she was privately blaming him for Artemis' death.

But she didn't really anymore. After a few days had gone by and Morgan had managed to distance herself from the situation somewhat, she could see how absolutely unfair it was of her to blame him. Oh, she'd felt bad for blaming him since the beginning, but only now did she truly see that blaming him wasn't only making her feel worse, it was also damaging the friendship they'd worked incredibly hard on establishing.

It wasn't exactly a secret that they'd gotten off to a rocky start. And for months now, they'd spent most of their time together bickering and arguing. The only time they got along somewhat was when they were on patrol, and even then they'd just barely tolerated each other.

But something had drastically changed in the past few weeks. They'd been getting along pretty okay. They'd actually put effort into being friendly.

And a pretty good friendship had come out of it, if you asked Morgan. She found that she actually liked spending time with her mentor. She found that she trusted him above anyone else on the Team. She found that he was easy to talk to.

And she was _not _going to let all that go to waste because she blamed him for something that wasn't actually his fault.

So she'd approached him earlier that day and demanded that they talk.

And he'd told her he couldn't right now because he was busy.

And then Morgan had looked absolutely crestfallen and he'd looked guilty and they'd sort of had a guilt-off until Nightwing had relented and asked her to meet him in the Cave at nine PM and they'd go on patrol together where they could talk all she wanted.

She had eagerly agreed, mainly because they seemed to get along better when they were on patrol.

And so, there Morgan was, quarter to nine, dressed in her Sparrow costume, slipping her mask into place as she hopped onto the kitchen counter and peeled an orange. She felt kind of peckish and didn't want to fight criminals on an empty stomach.

_Batman wouldn't approve_, she jokingly thought.

She looked up when she sensed another presence, spotting Nightwing entering the kitchen.

Biting down on an orange slice, she smiled a close-lipped smile at her mentor, willing their relationship to return to normal as soon as possible.

Morgan almost heaved a sigh of relief when he responded with a small, friendly smile of his own.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

Morgan considered telling him to wait until they were on patrol already, but realized that whatever she had to say wouldn't really take very long, so she might as well say it now.

"I just.. uh." She swallowed her orange slice and pursed her lips, searching for the right words.

Deciding that, since the direct approach had always been her forte, she might as well go with that.

"I blamed you for Artemis' death. And I'm sorry for that." She shrugged half heartedly and put away the rest of her orange, her appetite shriveling up immediately at the sour topic. "It wasn't fair of me and I shouldn't have let my emotions rule me the way they did."

That was actually been easier than Morgan had expected.

Mask-covered eyes met mask-covered eyes as she waited for his response.

"I, uh.. I forgive you." He replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "And I'm sorry as well. As your mentor, I should've been there to help you through the shock. You shouldn't have to deal with a death like that on your own, especially when it was your first time."

The way he said it made it sound like Team deaths happened often. And that she was supposed to get better at dealing with losing friends.

"It's okay." Morgan coughed behind a hand, hiding the distaste she felt at his phrasing. Besides, Artemis hadn't even been her friend, she'd been _Nightwing's. _If anything, Morgan should've been the one comforting him. "Besides, I wasn't alone. Connor talked to me."

Nightwing's brow furrowed. "Connor?"

Morgan shrugged again. "Yeah, he found me in that tree we ate pizza in that one time, and he talked with me. It helped a lot."

"Good." Nightwing slowly replied through gritted teeth that made it sound like it really _wasn't_ good, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Morgan wondered what his deal was.

"So." She quickly went on, jumping off the counter and landing in front of her mentor. "Shall we patrol?"

"Let's go."

They reached the main room when the Zeta tube announced the arrival of Blue Beetle and Impulse.

_"__Hah!_" Impulse cheered. "Left them in the dust!"

"Left _who_ in the dust?" Nightwing immediately asked, the two older teenagers approached the boys. "And what is _that?"_ he went on, pointing at something in Impulse's hand.

Morgan stepped forward from behind her mentor to better see what Impulse was holding.

It looked like a really high-tech TV remote in Morgan's opinion.

"Souvenir!" Impulse enthusiastically responded, holding the rectangular, electronic device up, point at it.

"Souvenirs are Beast Boy's thing, _ese." _Blue Beetle quickly corrected him.

"Oh, really?" Impulse asked, the team leader immediately forgotten as he turned his attention to the blue-clad teenager next to him. "I thought it was Kid Flash's-"

"Can we get to it?" Nightwing interrupted impatiently, clearly frustrated with the hyper youngster.

"Guys, focus." Morgan said at the same time, crossing her arms in front of her chest and rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, " Blue Beetle turned his attention back to his team leader. "Aqualad attacked us with Icicle Junior, the Terror Twins, and some ninja girl I haven't seen before."

"Aaaand this is how they tracked Blue." Impulse explained, motioning for the apparently-not-a-remote-but-a-tracking-device-thing in his hand. "I made sure he didn't do it again."

"By stealing it?" Morgan added. She was pretty new that the hero business herself, but even she could guess that bringing some unknown tech into the Cave was a stupid move.

Apparently Nightwing had thought the same thing. His mouth sagged into an angry line and his tone was clipped as he spoke. "So you brought foreign, possible alien tech _into the Cave_?"

Morgan winched at the glare on his face, expecting Impulse to get a proper lashing from their leader. She certainly knew _she_ would've gotten a stern lecture.

"Rookie mistake!" He instead pointed out angrily and sighed harshly, running a hand through his hair.

_His soft-looking, attractive hai – wait, stop._

Morgan shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Alright, give it here." Nightwing held his hand out and Impulse gave up the device, looking appropriately sheepish at the reprimand.

Morgan leaned closer – not because her mentor smelled nice (though he totally did) – but because she wanted to get a closer look at the tracking-device too.

"I still think it looks like a fancy TV remote." She admitted.

"We'll find out what it really does." Nightwing answered and drew up the holographic computer. Morgan realized that their patrol was portably cancelled now.

The small box was physically scanned in a moment and the four teenagers gathered around the screens as the computer started the actually scanning process, a digital duplicate appearing on-screen, followed by information on what it contained and what it did.

Most of what it said on the screen sounded like gibberish to Morgan, but apparently Nightwing seemed to understand what it said.

A small but annoying beeping noise erupted from the computer suddenly and Nightwing's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"_Argh!_" He groaned loudly, abruptly realizing something. "I'm an _idiot_!"

Drawing his two eskrima sticks from their thigh holster, he swiftly turned around.

Morgan, Blue Beetle and Impulse followed his movement, but none of the three teens had the time to react as their leader was felled by a flying, unconscious Superboy, the two of them skidding several feet across the floor, landing in a heap, with Nightwing at the bottom.

"Nightwing!" Morgan automatically cried, her first instinct to assist her friend.

Then her training kicked in and Morgan turned back around to face the threat.

On a platform above them, a hideous blue-skinned man with jagged, icicle-looking joints, started coating the floor of the room in a slippery sheet of ice.

Having heard Impulse mention their names earlier, Morgan could only assume this was Icicle Junior.

Impulse burst forward, heading straight for the ice-man, knocking him against the wall above them.

A huge building of a man, impossibly broad shouldered, clad in a white shirt and black pants with red suspenders, his white hair styled in a buzz-cut, stood at the entrance Morgan had Nightwing had only just walked out of five minutes ago.

A woman dressed in the exact same outfit, her long white hair in a ponytail, stepped through another entrance to the main room, carrying an unconscious Beast Boy on her shoulders.

Blue Beetle took to air immediately, engaging the male terror twin, but Morgan stayed down a little while longer. She was unwilling to leave Nightwing alone while he was still trapped underneath Connor's deadweight.

She wanted to attack the woman, but she didn't want to hurt Garfield.

Morgan trained her eyes onto the green boy and spread her hand out, yanking him out of her woman's grip before she had the time to react. Morgan had been lucky. Normally, it took her a few tries before she could get anything living to actually move.

Beast Boy landed a few meters away and Morgan finally had proper access to the woman.

Praying that her luck would hold, she tried for the same trick against the blonde.

Nothing happened.

"Guess I'll have to do this the hard way." She murmured to herself and made to charge against the other woman.

Morgan never got the chance to, because right at the moment, Impulse landed roughly on the floor next to her, letting out a pained groan.

"Impulse!" She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up. "You alright?"

He had a dark-grey collar around his neck that got Morgan worried. Why would they palce collars on the heroes? What did the collars do?

"You need to get up high," He immediately said, pushing her away. "The collars. They turn off our powers."

Morgan's eyes widened as she took a few steps back before beating her wings powerfully, taking to the air immediately.

Part of her told her to stay on the ground and help her friends instead of fighting from a distance like a coward.

A much bigger part, a part that often sounded like Nightwing, logically reminded her that staying where the bad guys couldn't reach her would help her friends far better than if she tried to help them on the ground and got caught herself.

Once she'd reached an altitude that made her unreachable by her three opponents below, she tried for that telekinetic trick again.

Arm pointed at the woman, fingers spread, she threw her arm further out.

Satisfaction coursed through her mind when the woman was thrown back against the wall.

It barely did anything. She got up immediately, like Morgan's attack hadn't fazed her even a little bit.

Behind her, the second part of the twins cried out loud and Morgan turned in mid air to watch Blue Beetle use some sort of sonic attack that left the other man clutching her head in pain.

Below her, Nightwing pushed Superboy off of him and got up, finally back in the game. Morgan almost breathed a sigh of relief, but she hardly had time to before her mentor was kicked in the face and tripped to the ground by a dark-haired woman clad in an orange and black costume.

She slipped another of those collars into place around his neck, but he just smirked triumphantly at her. "Sorry, no powers for your collar to turn off." He quipped before swinging his legs around her neck from behind and throwing her off of him.

A move that, later, when Morgan wasn't in immediate danger and actually had the time to think about that kind of stuff, made her wonder just how flexible he was – in the dirtiest of implications possible – and how incredibly good-looking he was when he fought bad guys.

She didn't think about that at the moment however. Because right as her mentor had gotten to his feet again, the ninja woman pressed a button on a controller she had in her grasp, and he was electrocuted by the collar around his neck.

"Nightwing!" Morgan shout worriedly for the second time that night and almost flew down to help him, especially when he fell to his knees with a pained cry.

She stopped, firmly reminding herself that she was of more use to her friends up here where she couldn't get caught.

She grabbed mental hold on the ninja woman, using her fury at the sight of her mentor in pain, and was about to send her flying across the room in a move that would hopefully have rendered her unconscious, if not broken several bones, when a new voice demanded her attention.

"Stand down!" It ordered.

Morgan turned in the air, losing her mental hold on the woman, and felt her stomach drop.

Logically, she should've known he'd be here. Impulse had mentioned that Icicle Junior, the Terror Twins, some ninja woman _and_ Aqualad had tried to attack them.

And yet, Morgan wasn't prepared to come face to face with the man she'd, less than a week ago, seen murder one of his old friends.

She felt like somebody had punched her in the gut.

"This battle is over." He spoke with confidence.

"I don't think so, traitor!" Blue Beetle raged, aiming his armed hands at the Atlantean. Morgan hovered in the air, clearly showing that she wasn't about to stand down either.

"Then _re-think_, Blue Beetle." Kaldur'ahm calmly responded.

He had a sportsbag slung over his shoulder and as he spoke, he set it down, pulling its contents out. "This is the same kind of bomb that obliterated Malina Island. I am holding down the dead man switch."

Once again, Morgan felt like somebody had punched her in the stomach and her heart climbed into her throat, beating twice as fast. She saw the small black tech in his hand, saw the red button he had his thumb on and knew he wasn't lying. He'd murdered Artemis only a few days ago, what would stop from him blow up the Cave and all of the people in it?

"If my thumb comes off this button. _For. Any. Reason. At . All_.." He spoke with such a calm voice, Morgan wondered how he could not be quaking with fear at the sight of the bomb as she was. "Mount Justice will fall."

Morgan could tell Blue Beetle was weighing his options in his head, processing Aqualad's words.

She didn't need to. She knew the only thing they could do was hand themselves over. There was the possibility that he was bluffing, but Morgan wasn't willing to take that risk. She couldn't afford to take that risk.

Morgan slowly floated to the ground and folded her wings against her back. She landed in a crouch next to Nightwing and placed a hand on his shoulder to make sure he was still okay.

She wasn't going to be the reason they were all killed.

He was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily from the electric shock he'd gotten a minute earlier, but he still looked up at her in a reassuring manner. Morgan could tell the electrocution had stung quite a lot.

She was forced to her feet roughly and clenched her eyes shut as a pair of hands slipped underneath her curly mane and clicked a collar into place. The weight was unfamiliar and restricting.

Immediately Morgan felt like part of her mind had been closed off from her. She didn't have to test it to know that her telekinesis was no longer working. The dark haired woman kept a firm grip on her upper arm.

She'd let them catch her. But that didn't mean she'd lost her spirit, Morgan decided as she opened her eyes and leveled a fierce glare at the leader of the company.

"Frickin' bag of dicks.." she hissed under her breath, biting down on her tongue to keep from starting a river of cursing.

Blue Beetle had landed himself on the ground too, holding his hands up in surrender. "We're standing down." He said in resignation as the tallest of the Terror Twins placed a collar around his neck as well.

"Wise choice." Aqualad said in that seemingly constant monotone of his.

Behind them, a jagged slide of ice appeared and Icicle Junior slid down it, joining the scene. "I'm fine, by the way." He complained, hurt that nobody had bothered to check on him.

Morgan felt like rolling her eyes, but she was too angry and scared to do it. The entire situation sent spike of anxiety and anger and worry through her body. It was the uncertainty of the situation that sent shivers down her spine. Also, the creepy and appreciative look Icicle Junior sent her was less than reassuring.

"Good." Aqaulad replied unconvincingly. "Escort Blue Beetle, Impulse, Beast Boy and Sparrow to the flyer."

"What about these two?" The ninja woman, who still had a strong grip on Morgan's arm, asked, motioning for Nightwing and the unconscious Superboy.

She began forcing Morgan forward. The winged girl's first instinct was to dig her feet into the ground and fight back, but she let herself get dragged along. She knew what would happen if she attempted to fight back.

"As hostages, they have value here." Kaldur'ahm explained. "But Nightwing is a normal human. Superboy a human-kryptonian hybrid clone. Neither category is of any interest to our partner."

Morgan stumbled ungracefully in sheer surprise at what he was saying. Her mind was reeling as she was figuring out what the man was saying.

He wasn't just capturing her and the three others for fun or to kill them.

They were taking them because the partner, the Light's partner, whom the Team had tried to discover for weeks now, wanted them for some reason.

Whatever they needed them for, Morgan was sure it wasn't pleasant.

Fear gripped her heart and pumped through her veins, rendering her completely fight-less, only able to stare at the traitor in shock and fear.

"Aqualad!" Nightwing had gotten to his feet and was shouting angrily. "You'll regret this!" He promised.

His former friend paused for a moment before casually walking towards Nightwing, delivering a painful punch to his stomach.

Morgan felt rage boil in her stomach at the sight of her mentor bending over, grunting in pain. The rage took over her body and flushed away any speck of fear.

She gritted her teeth and growled at Aqualad.

The blonde twin grabbed her from behind and started dragging her out as Morgan fought against her grip.

"I believe I have outgrown that name." Kaldur'ahm responded. "As well as anything resembling regret."

"I swear to god, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to rip those gills off of your stupid neck!" She yelled after Kaldur, struggling to wriggle out of the blonde woman's grip.

He paused once again and regarded her for a moment, as if only noticing her now. The icy cold look in his silver eyes made a shiver run down Morgan's spine, but she kept her defiant glare trained on his face.

The blonde pulled her out of the room, leaving Morgan to only just hear Aqualads ominous warning.

"_I'll leave the bomb here with you. As a souvenir. Oh, and the dead man switch as a five mile range. Do not pursue."_

Her blood ran cold when she realized that Nightwing was going to be left in there with the active bomb.

A bomb which a vengeful murderer only had to move his finger slightly to activate.

They were led out of the Cave through the garage. Morgan had quickly realized that her attempts to break loose from the woman's grip were futile, so she had stopped struggling when the woman had threatened to electrocute her.

Now she was walking by herself in front of the female twin, her glaring eyes staring straight ahead.

Here had to be some sort of way to get out of this. They couldn't just _give_ _up_.

A little ways into the water, a large ship – flyer, had Aqualad called it? – waited for them to return.

"Move it, girly." The blonde behind her pushed her roughly forward and Morgan only just managed to catch herself before stumbling to the sand below.

Every muscle in her screamed to turn back, begged her to not let them leave Nightwing behind with that bomb. She felt angry tears well up in her eyes at the desperate need to aid her mentor combined with the helplessness she felt. She hadn't felt this helpless and useless since she'd run away from home.

Morgan tried to focus on something else, anything to keep her from crying – _dammit, she refused to cry in front of these people – _and in front of her she saw Blue Beetle, flanked by Icicle Junior.

"Not much of a choice, is there?" Blue angrily stated.

"None at all," Icicle Junior answered triumphantly, thought Morgan couldn't help but suspect the question hadn't been aimed at him.

There was a commotion suddenly when Blue Beetle's arms turned into two huge, round clubs with blunt spikes on them. "Wait, no!" Blue Beetle cried, like the sudden appearance of the weapons hadn't been voluntary. "You can't!"

He knocked Icicle Junior and the female twin to the ground and ran a few paces back before turning around to face the leader of their captors.

Morgan realized that this was the chance she'd hoped for. She looked to the fallen blonde by her feet and forced open her clenched fist.

Finding what she'd been looking for, Morgan grabbed the small remote that she knew controlled the collar around her neck.

Their collar had turned off her telekinesis, she knew.

But it couldn't turn off her wings.

With this in mind, Morgan spread her wings, and with a powerful beat of the feather-covered limbs, she was airborne.

Aqaulad, having noticed the disturbance, had turned and faced Blue Beetle, already prepared to fight back. Blue Beetle sent out what looked like a blast of blue laser at his opponent.

Aqualad barely had the time to form a small, round, blue shield, which took most of the brunt of the blast, sending him flying back towards a large outcropping of rock in the middle of the beach.

It felt like Morgan's heart had stopped beating altogether when she, as if in slowmotion, saw Aqualad smash against the flat rock behind him and loosen the grip he had on the dead man switch, the small thing falling into the sand next to him.

She held her breath for several moments, waiting for the mountain behind her to erupt in flame, killing everyone in and near it. She prepared herself to die in the wall of fire she was sure was coming.

"_Nooo!_" Blue Beetle cried, just as Morgan let out a strangled gasp.

The explosion never came.

"You were right!" The boy cried out in relief. "It _was_ a bluff! Get him!"

He charged for Kaldur'ahm. Morgan wanted to go down and help him, she really did, but she found herself frozen in place, rendered useless by the paralyzing fear she'd felt at thinking they'd all die in the explosion.

Blue Beetle screamed in pain when Aqualad placed a flat hand on his chest and sent out a beam of what looked like blue electricity.

His painful cry shook her awake and she settled her nerves, preparing to charge in and help her friend as he stumbled back.

There was a large hole in the chest area of his suit, and as he stumbled around, the black haired woman landed in front of him and sent a tranquilizing shot into his chest.

Blue Beetle fell to the ground, unconscious,

"I was not certain that would work." Aqualad admitted. "But it seems that Blue Beetle is indeed vulnerable to mystic energy. And sedatives."

He looked at Icicle Junior. "Bring him aboard!"

The blue-skinned man pulled Beetle over his shoulder and dragged him away.

"What about her?" The ninja woman asked, pointing up at Morgan, who was still airborne.

Aqualad looked up and met Morgan's eyes.

"Bring her down." He ordered.

The woman pulled out another sedative and shot it after Morgan, but she swerved out of the way and flew up higher, out of reach.

"We have run out of time." She could hear Kaldur'ahm say. "Leave her. I believe the others will satisfy our partner sufficiently."

Morgan was stuck in a horrible dilemma. She wanted to save her friends, but if she got any closer, she'd be subdued immediately by their tranquilizers.

If their enemies had been any less trained, Morgan would've have engaged them immediately. As it were, she knew she'd never be able to take them all in a fight, even if she had her powers. Which she didn't because that collar was still around her neck.

She wanted to scream in frustration when she realized that all she could do was watch the flyer take off with her friends.

Her chance of saving them was slim to none.

"But I have to try anyway!" She ground out before taking off after the dark ship.

She wasn't even half a mile out over the water when she had to give up again. The ship was too fast for her to ever catch up to it and trying to would be a fool's errand.

She turned and looked at Mount Justice, grateful that it was still standing.

"Nightwing.." She gasped under her breath when she realized that her leader was still trapped with that bomb. Her curls whipped around her face as Morgan raced back towards the mountain as fast as she could.

She was only about two hundred feet from the island when, it suddenly exploded into a wall of fire and heat.

She was blasted out of the sky by the shockwave, propelled further into the forest that surrounded the mountain. The heat wave was unbearable and the boom rattled her bones as she soared through the sky, dropping head first towards the dark canopy of trees below her.

She must've blacked out for a moment because suddenly everything was dark and quiet.

* * *

><p>I told ya'll this chapter would be explosive, didn't I?<p>

I've been sick and miserable for two days straight, so I decided to post a chapter early to cheer myself up.

Fun fact: Morgan is like the least picky person when it comes to music. She'll listen to whatever's on the radio. _If_ she absolutely had to chose her least favourite genre, she'd probably say rap, because she has a hard time understanding the words because it's so fast paced and thus gets annoyed. Her favourite music is probably instrumental, though. It makes for good background music. _  
><em>


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